[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 181 (Monday, September 19, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58031-58032]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23899]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[2253-665]
Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Thomas Burke
Memorial Washington State Museum, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Thomas Burke Memorial Washington State Museum (Burke
Museum), in consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes, has
determined that the cultural items meet the definition of unassociated
funerary objects and repatriation to the Indian Tribes stated below may
occur if no additional claimants come forward. Representatives of any
Indian Tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated with the
cultural items may contact the Burke Museum.
DATES: Representatives of any Indian Tribe that believes it has a
cultural affiliation with the cultural items should contact the Burke
Museum at the address below by October 19, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Peter Lape, Burke Museum, University of Washington, Box
353010, Seattle, WA 98195-3010, telephone (206) 685-3849.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is here given in accordance with the
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25
U.S.C. 3005, of the intent to repatriate cultural items in the
possession of the Burke Museum, University of Washington, Seattle, WA,
that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects under 25
U.S.C. 3001.
This notice is published as part of the National Park Service's
administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25 U.S.C. 3003(d)(3). The
determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of the
museum, institution, or Federal agency that has control of the Native
American cultural items. The National Park Service is not responsible
for the determinations in this notice.
History and Description of the Cultural Items
In 1953-1954, human remains were removed from the Cedar Cave Site
(45-KT-20), in Kittitas County, WA, during a University of Washington
Field Expedition led by Dr. Earl Swanson, Jr. The human remains and
objects were transferred from the University of Washington, Department
of Anthropology and accessioned by the Burke Museum in 1966 (Burke
Accn. 1966-95). In 1974, the Burke Museum legally transferred
portions of the human remains to Central Washington University. In
2007, a Notice of Inventory Completion (NIC) describing 4 individuals
and 42 associated funerary objects removed from the Cedar Cave site was
published in the Federal Register [72 FR 52391-52392, September 13,
2007]. The Burke Museum and Central Washington University have jointly
repatriated all human remains and funerary objects from the Cedar Cave
site described in the NIC. At that time, one object, the burial bundle,
was believed to have been missing, but has subsequently been identified
during a collection cataloging and re-housing project. Also at that
time, a projectile point and two shell beads were not designated as
associated funerary objects, but based on the available provenience
information and their proximity to the burial, are now determined to
have been intentionally placed with the human remains. Therefore, the
four (now unassociated) funerary objects are one burial bundle, one
projectile point, and two shell beads.
Early and late published ethnographic documentation indicates that
the Cedar Cave Site is in the aboriginal territory of the Moses-
Columbia or Sinkiuse, and the Yakima (Daugherty 1973, Miller 1998,
Mooney 1896, Ray 1936, Spier 1936) whose descendents are represented
today by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation,
Washington, and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation,
Washington. Furthermore, information provided during consultation
indicates that the aboriginal ancestors occupying this area were highly
mobile and traveled the landscape for gathering resources as well as
trade. Descendents of these Plateau communities are now widely
dispersed and enrolled in the two Tribes mentioned, as well as the Nez
Perce Tribe, Idaho; Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian
Reservation, Oregon; Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon; and the Wanapum Band, a non-Federally recognized
Indian group. Museum documentation indicates that the cultural items
were found in connection with the human remains. The cultural items are
consistent with cultural items typically found in context with burials
in eastern Washington.
Determinations Made by the Burke Museum
Officials of the Burke Museum have determined that:
Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(B), the four cultural items
described above are reasonably believed to have been placed with or
near individual human remains at the time of death or later as part of
the death rite or ceremony and are believed, by a preponderance of the
evidence, to have been removed from a specific burial site of a Native
American individual.
Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there is a relationship of
shared group identity that can be reasonably traced between the
unassociated funerary objects and the Confederated Tribes of the
Colville Reservation, Washington; Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla
Indian Reservation, Oregon; Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon; Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama
Nation, Washington; and the Nez Perce Tribe, Idaho, as well as the
Wanapum Band, a non-Federally recognized Indian group.
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Representatives of any other Indian Tribe that believes itself to
be culturally affiliated with the unassociated funerary objects should
contact Peter Lape, Burke Museum, University of Washington, Box 35101,
Seattle, WA 98195, telephone (206) 685-3849, before October 19, 2011.
Repatriation of the unassociated funerary objects to the Confederated
Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Washington; Confederated Tribes of
the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Oregon; Confederated Tribes of the
Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon; Confederated Tribes and Bands of
the Yakama Nation, Washington; and the Nez Perce Tribe, Idaho, as well
as the Wanapum Band, a non-Federally recognized Indian group, may
proceed after that date if no additional claimants come forward.
The Burke Museum is responsible for notifying the Confederated
Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Washington; Confederated Tribes of
the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Oregon; Confederated Tribes of the
Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon;
[[Page 58032]]
Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Washington; Nez
Perce Tribe, Idaho; and the Wanapum Band, a non-Federally recognized
Indian group, that this notice has been published.
Dated: September 13, 2011.
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2011-23899 Filed 9-16-11; 8:45 am]
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