Notice2025-17370
Notice of Intended Disposition: Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville, TN
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 10, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Tennessee Valley Authority intends to carry out the disposition of human remains and associated funerary objects removed from Federal or Tribal lands to the lineal descendants, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization with priority for disposition in this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 173 (Wednesday, September 10, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 10, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43621-43622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-17370]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6498; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0040995; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Disposition: Tennessee Valley Authority,
Knoxville, TN
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Tennessee Valley Authority intends to
carry out the disposition of human remains and associated funerary
objects removed from Federal or Tribal lands to the lineal descendants,
Indian Tribe, or
[[Page 43622]]
Native Hawaiian organization with priority for disposition in this
notice.
DATES: Disposition of the human remains and associated funerary objects
in this notice may occur on or after October 10, 2025. If no claim for
disposition is received by September 10, 2026, the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice will become unclaimed human
remains and associated funerary objects.
ADDRESSES: Send written claims for disposition of the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice to Megan Cook, NAGPRA
Liaison, Cultural Resources, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West
Summit Drive, Knoxville, TN 37902, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#481c1e0906090f181a09083c3e29662f273e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="722624333c3335222033320604135c151d04">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published as part of the
National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA.
The determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of the
Tennessee Valley Authority, and additional information on the human
remains or cultural items in this notice, including the results of
consultation, can be found in the related records. The National Park
Service is not responsible for the identifications in this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
Based on the information available, human remains representing, at
least, six individuals have been reasonably identified. The 16 lots of
associated funerary objects include ceramics, faunal remains, lithics,
and shell.
In 2017, 2019 and 2020, human remains and associated funerary
objects were removed from the Mussel Camp site (01MG107), Morgan
County, Alabama. The human remains and objects were removed as part of
potential ARPA violation prosecutions and held as evidence until
present. No known individuals were identified.
In 2019, human remains and associated funerary objects were removed
from the Cypress Creek site (1LU12) and Colliers Cave site (1LU494),
Lauderdale County, Alabama. The human remains and objects were removed
as part of potential ARPA violation prosecutions and held as evidence
until present. No known individuals were identified.
Determinations
The Tennessee Valley Authority has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of six individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The 16 lots of objects described in this notice are
reasonably believed to have been placed intentionally with or near
individual human remains at the time of death or later as part of the
death rite or ceremony.
<bullet> The Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma;
Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas; Cherokee Nation; Coushatta Tribe of
Louisiana; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; Eastern Shawnee Tribe of
Oklahoma; Jena Band of Choctaw Indians; Kialegee Tribal Town; Poarch
Band of Creek Indians; Shawnee Tribe; The Chickasaw Nation; The Choctaw
Nation of Oklahoma; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; The Seminole Nation of
Oklahoma; Thlopthlocco Tribal Town; and the United Keetoowah Band of
Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma have priority for disposition of the human
remains and associated funerary objects described in this notice.
Claims for Disposition
Written claims for disposition of the human remains and associated
funerary objects in this notice must be sent to the appropriate
official identified in this notice under ADDRESSES. If no claim for
disposition is received by September 10, 2026, the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice will become unclaimed human
remains and associated funerary objects. Claims for disposition may be
submitted by:
1. Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian
organization identified in this notice.
2. Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice who shows that they have
priority for disposition.
Disposition of the human remains and associated funerary objects in
this notice may occur on or after October 10, 2025. If competing claims
for disposition are received, the Tennessee Valley Authority must
determine the most appropriate claimant prior to disposition. Claims
for joint disposition of the human remains and associated funerary
objects are considered a single claim and not competing claims. The
Tennessee Valley Authority is responsible for sending a copy of this
notice to the lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian
organizations identified in this notice and to any other consulting
parties.
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,
25 U.S.C. 3002, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.7.
Dated: August 21, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-17370 Filed 9-9-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 10, 2025.
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