Notice2025-23541
Notice of Inventory Completion: Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Archaeology, Nashville, 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
December 22, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Archaeology (TDEC-DOA) has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects from Cocke, Knox, Monroe, and Roane Counties, TN, and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 243 (Monday, December 22, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 243 (Monday, December 22, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59861-59862]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-23541]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6809; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041630; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation, Division of Archaeology, Nashville, 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 Department of Environment and
Conservation, Division of Archaeology (TDEC-DOA) has completed an
inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects from Cocke,
Knox, Monroe, and Roane Counties, TN, and has determined that there is
a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated
funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in
this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary
objects in this notice may occur on or after January 21, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains
and associated funerary objects in this notice to Phillip R. Hodge,
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of
Archaeology (TDEC-DOA), 1216 Foster Avenue, Cole Building #3,
Nashville, TN 37243, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4b1b2322276503242f2c2e0b3f25652c243d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="07576f6e6b294f6863606247736929606871">[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
TDEC-DOA, and additional information on the determinations in this
notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in its
inventory or related records. The National Park Service is not
responsible for the determinations in this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
Human remains representing, at least, 10 individuals have been
identified. The four associated funerary objects (AFOs) are four lots
of artifacts.
Unknown Site, Cocke County, TN
Human remains representing, at least, one individual. These
ancestral remains were collected in the early twentieth century and
donated to the University of Tennessee Forensic Center in Jan 2016.
They were subsequently transferred to TDEC-DOA. No further information
is available regarding the circumstances surrounding the acquisition of
these remains. There is no known exposure to hazardous substances or
treatments.
Unknown Site, Knox County, TN
Human remains representing, at least, two individuals. Remains of
at least one individual were donated to the University of Tennessee-
Knoxville in 2005. In 2017 they were turned over to the Knox County
Forensic Center and subsequently donated to TDEC-DOA in 2021. One box
containing additional ancestral remains is labeled as University of
Tennessee Forensic Anthropology case #94-27, however no information
exists regarding their transfer to TDEC-DOA. There is no known exposure
to hazardous substances or treatments.
Unknown Site, Monroe County, TN
Human remains representing, at least, one individual. These remains
were recovered by members of the public and seized by the Knox County
Regional Forensic Center. They were later donated to TDEC-DOA in 2017.
No additional information exists as to their collection or transfer.
There is no known exposure to hazardous substances or treatments.
Site 40RE13, Roane County, TN
Human remains representing, at least, one individual and one
associated funerary object. AFOs include one lot of freshwater shell.
No information is available regarding the circumstances of recovery or
donation. There is no known exposure to hazardous substances or
treatments.
Site 40RE69, Roane County, TN
Human remains representing, at least, one individual and one
associated funerary object. AFOs include one lot of unsorted material.
No information is available regarding the circumstances of recovery or
donation. There is no known exposure to hazardous substances or
treatments.
Unknown Site, Roane County, TN
Human remains representing, at least, four individuals and two
associated funerary objects. AFOs are two lots of artifacts including
ceramic sherds. These remains were turned over to Fort Southwest Point
Park staff when that park was owned by the city of Kingston, TN. They
were transferred to TDEC-DOA for repatriation in 2025. There is no
known exposure to hazardous substances or treatments.
[[Page 59862]]
Cultural Affiliation
Based on the information available and the results of consultation,
cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical
location or acquisition history of the human remains and associated
funerary objects described in this notice.
Determinations
The TDEC-DOA has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of at least 10 individuals of Native American
ancestry.
<bullet> The four lots of artifacts 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> There is a connection between the human remains and
associated funerary objects described in this notice and the Alabama-
Coushatta Tribe of Texas; Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; Thlopthlocco Tribal Town; and the
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice must be sent to the
authorized representative identified in this notice under ADDRESSES.
Requests for repatriation may be submitted by:
1. Any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations identified in this notice.
2. Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice who shows, by a
preponderance of the evidence, that the requestor is a lineal
descendant or an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with
cultural affiliation.
Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects
described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after January
21, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the
TDEC-DOA must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to
repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human remains and
associated funerary objects are considered a single request and not
competing requests. The TDEC-DOA is responsible for sending a copy of
this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations
identified in this notice.
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.
Dated: December 11, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-23541 Filed 12-19-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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