Notice of Inventory Completion: Beneski Museum of Natural History, Amherst College, Amherst, MA, 74872-74873 [2012-30451]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 243 / Tuesday, December 18, 2012 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–11742; 2200–1100–
665]
Notice of Inventory Completion:
Beneski Museum of Natural History,
Amherst College, Amherst, MA
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Beneski Museum of
Natural History, Amherst College
(formerly the Pratt Museum of Natural
History) has completed an inventory of
human remains, in consultation with
the appropriate Indian tribes, and has
determined that there is a cultural
affiliation between the human remains
and present-day Indian tribes.
Representatives of any Indian tribe that
believes itself to be culturally affiliated
with the human remains may contact
the Beneski Museum of Natural History,
Amherst College. Repatriation of the
human remains to the Indian tribes
stated below may occur if no additional
claimants come forward.
DATES: Representatives of any Indian
tribe that believes it has a cultural
affiliation with the human remains
should contact the Beneski Museum of
Natural History, Amherst College at the
address below by January 17, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Tekla A. Harms, NAGPRA
Coordinator, Beneski Museum of
Natural History, Amherst College,
Amherst, MA 01002; telephone (413)
542–2233.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is
here given in accordance with the
Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C.
3003, of the completion of an inventory
of human remains in the possession of
the Beneski Museum of Natural History,
Amherst College. The human remains
were removed from Florida, most likely
Brevard or Indian River counties.
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 human remains. The National
Park Service is not responsible for the
determinations in this notice.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with
SUMMARY:
Consultation
A detailed assessment of the human
remains was made by the NAGPRA
Coordinator and museum staff of the
Beneski Museum of Natural History,
Amherst College, and their agents, in
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:29 Dec 17, 2012
Jkt 229001
consultation with representatives of the
Caddo Nation of Oklahoma; Catawba
Indian Nation (aka Catawba Tribe of
South Carolina); Cherokee Nation;
Chickasaw Nation; Chitimacha Tribe of
Louisiana; Choctaw Nation of
Oklahoma; Coushatta Tribe of
Louisiana; Jena Band of Choctaw
Indians; Miccosukee Tribe of Indians;
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians;
Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma; Quapaw
Tribe of Indians; Seminole Tribe of
Florida (previously listed as the
Seminole Tribe of Florida (Dania, Big
Cypress, Brighton, Hollywood & Tampa
Reservations)); The Muscogee (Creek)
Nation; The Osage Nation (previously
listed as the Osage Tribe); The Seminole
Nation of Oklahoma; United Keetoowah
Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma;
and the Wyandotte Nation (hereafter
referred to as ‘‘The Tribes’’).
Representatives of the Beneski Museum
also contacted and attempted to consult
with the Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians; Poarch Band of Creeks
(previously listed as the Poarch Band of
Creek Indians of Alabama); and the
Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe.
History and Description of the Remains
In about 1925, human remains
representing, at minimum, two
individuals were removed from either
the area of Melbourne, in Brevard
County, FL, or the area of Vero Beach,
in Indian River County, FL, by F.B.
Loomis, Professor of Geology at Amherst
College. In the early 1980s, other
remains collected at the same time were
transferred from Amherst College to the
University of Massachusetts Amherst,
Department of Anthropology for
permanent curation. These remains are
the subject of a separate Notice of
Inventory Completion.
Museum records regarding these
human remains are fragmentary and
only indirectly constrain their
provenience. The skull of one
individual is marked with a number that
corresponds to an entry in the ledger
entitled ‘‘Catalogue of Skeletal Material,
Gilbert Museum of Indian Relics.’’ The
‘‘Gilbert Museum’’ is an old, informal
name for the Gilbert Collection, which
is presently housed in the Beneski
Museum of Natural History, Amherst
College. In its entirety, that entry reads:
‘‘Seminole from Melbourne Florida.
Complete.’’ No known individuals have
been identified. No associated funerary
objects are present.
Both individuals are marked with
numbers that resemble the numbering
system used by F.B. Loomis in the field.
Loomis was engaged in excavating in
Florida in 1923 and 1925, at least. No
field notes from Loomis’s excavations
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Frm 00049
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
remain, but newspaper reports at the
time indicate Loomis collected from
‘‘burial mounds’’ (Melbourne Florida
Times, December 5, 1923). The Boston
Globe on November 1, 1925, reported
Loomis and his coworkers excavated ‘‘in
Melbourne and on the east coast of
Florida’’ for five weeks and ‘‘at Vero
Beach’’ for two, obtaining ‘‘50 skulls
and about one dozen skeletons.’’ This
article also associates these mounds
with Native Americans from southern
rather than western Florida, based on
the absence of pottery or tools in the
mounds. No doubt, this conclusion
derived from an interview with Loomis
himself. Similarly, the Globe reported,
‘‘[t]he skeletons lay in formation around
the mound, and when one layer was
completed, earth was piled on and
another layer begun. In this way the
growth of the mound was effected.’’
Multiple lines of evidence—guided by
tribal consultations—including
geographic, oral tradition,
archaeological, linguistic, historical, and
aboriginal land claims, demonstrate a
shared group identity between these
human remains and the modern-day
tribes of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation,
Oklahoma; Seminole Tribe of Florida;
and The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.
Determinations Made by the Beneski
Museum of Natural History, Amherst
College
Officials of the Beneski Museum of
Natural History, Amherst College have
determined that:
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the
human remains described in this notice
represent the physical remains of two
individuals of Native American
ancestry.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there
is a relationship of shared group
identity that can be reasonably traced
between the Native American human
remains and the Muscogee (Creek)
Nation, Oklahoma; Seminole Tribe of
Florida; and The Seminole Nation of
Oklahoma.
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Representatives of any Indian tribe
that believes itself to be culturally
affiliated with the human remains
should contact the NAGPRA
Coordinator, Beneski Museum of
Natural History, Amherst College,
Amherst, MA 01002; telephone (413)
542–2233, before January 17, 2013.
Repatriation of the human remains to
the Muscogee (Creek) Nation,
Oklahoma; Seminole Tribe of Florida;
and The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma
may proceed after that date if no
additional claimants come forward.
E:\FR\FM\18DEN1.SGM
18DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 243 / Tuesday, December 18, 2012 / Notices
The Beneski Museum of Natural
History, Amherst College is responsible
for notifying The Tribes that this notice
has been published.
Dated: November 20, 2012.
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2012–30451 Filed 12–17–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–50–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–11463; 2200–1100–
665]
Notice of Inventory Completion:
University of Montana, Missoula, MT;
Museum of the Rockies at Montana
State University, Bozeman, MT; and
University of Wyoming, Department of
Anthropology, Laramie, WY
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The University of Montana,
the Museum of the Rockies at Montana
State University, and the University of
Wyoming, Department of Anthropology,
have completed an inventory of human
remains, in consultation with the
appropriate Indian tribe, and have
determined that there is no cultural
affiliation between the remains and any
present-day Indian tribe.
Representatives of any Indian tribe that
believes itself to be culturally affiliated
with the human remains may contact
the University of Montana, which is
acting on its own behalf and for the
Museum of the Rockies and the
University of Wyoming. Disposition of
the human remains to the Indian tribe
stated below may occur if no additional
requestors come forward.
DATES: Representatives of any Indian
tribe that believes it has a cultural
affiliation with the human remains
should contact the University of
Montana at the address below by
January 17, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Dr. Sally Thompson,
Department of Anthropology, University
of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812,
telephone (406) 243–5525.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is
here given in accordance with the
Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C.
3003, of the completion of an inventory
of human remains in the possession of
the University of Montana, the Museum
of the Rockies at Montana State
University, and the University of
Wyoming, Department of Anthropology.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with
SUMMARY:
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15:29 Dec 17, 2012
Jkt 229001
The human remains were removed from
Yellowstone County, MT.
This notice is published as part of the
National Park Service’s administrative
responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25
U.S.C. 3003(d)(3) and 43 CFR 10.11(d).
The determinations in this notice are
the sole responsibility of the museums,
institutions, or Federal agencies that
have control of the Native American
human remains. The National Park
Service is not responsible for the
determinations in this notice.
Consultation
A detailed assessment of the human
remains was made by the University of
Montana (Campbell & McKeown 2010),
the Museum of the Rockies, and the
University of Wyoming professional
staffs in consultation with
representatives of the Crow Tribe of
Montana.
History and Description of the Remains
Between 1937 and 1941, human
remains representing, at minimum, 18
individuals were removed from a
complex of sites known as the
Pictograph Cave and its Terrace area
(24YL1) and the Ghost Cave (24YL2), in
Yellowstone County, MT, through an
excavation project by the Works Project
Administration. Nine burials were
reported to have been excavated from
the Pictograph Cave, while only five
human bones and one tooth were
reported from the Ghost Cave
(Snodgrasse 1958). These remains from
an excavated context are attributed to
the Late Prehistoric occupation of the
caves, dating between A.D. 500 and
1750 (Mulloy 1958 and Snodgrasse
1958).
The University of Wyoming,
Department of Anthropology, acquired
human remains from the Pictograph
Cave representing, at minimum, three
individuals, all sub-adults, sometime in
the late 1940s. In 1991, the Museum of
the Rockies acquired human teeth from
the Pictograph Cave, its Terrace area,
and the Ghost Cave representing, at
minimum, four individuals, as part of a
large donation of unrelated material.
The University of Montana acquired
human remains representing, at
minimum, 11 individuals at an
unknown date from the Pictograph
Cave, its Terrace area, and the Ghost
Cave. Some of the individuals held by
the different institutions may be
duplicative, in which case the minimum
number would be lower. The human
remains in the possession of the
University of Montana were found in
the faunal collections from these
locations, and include fifteen elements
from the Pictograph Cave (a left distal
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Frm 00050
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
74873
femur epiphysis of a sub-adult, a right
4th premolar, two right metatarsals, a
right 3rd cuneiform, a left clavicle, a
cervical vertebra, two proximal
phalanges, a right parietal fragment, a
left mandibular canine, a right talus, a
right calcaneus, a left calcaneus, and a
right cuboid), two elements from the
Terrace area (a partial femur and a
partial os coxae), and a single element
from the Ghost Cave (a fragmentary rib).
No known individuals were identified.
No associated funerary objects are
present.
Determinations Made by the University
of Montana, the Museum of the
Rockies, and the University of
Wyoming
Officials of the University of Montana,
the Museum of the Rockies, and the
University of Wyoming have
determined that:
• Based on the date of the site, the
human remains are Native American.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), a
relationship of shared group identity
cannot be reasonably traced between the
Native American human remains and
any present-day Indian tribe.
• According to final judgments of the
Indian Claims Commission, the land
from which the Native American human
remains were removed is the aboriginal
land of the Crow Tribe of Montana.
• Multiple lines of evidence,
including treaties, Acts of Congress, and
Executive Orders, indicate that the land
from which the Native American human
were removed is the aboriginal land of
the Crow Tribe of Montana.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the
human remains described in this notice
represent the physical remains of 18
individuals of Native American
ancestry.
• Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1), the
disposition of the human remains is to
the Crow Tribe of Montana.
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Representatives of any Indian tribe
that believes itself to be culturally
affiliated with the human remains or
any other Indian tribe that believes it
satisfies the criteria in 43 CFR
10.11(c)(1) should contact Dr. Sally
Thompson, Department of
Anthropology, University of Montana,
Missoula, MT 59812, telephone (406)
243–5525 before January 17, 2013.
Disposition of the human remains to the
Crow Tribe of Montana may proceed
after that date if no additional
requestors come forward.
The University of Montana is
responsible for notifying the Crow Tribe
that this notice has been published.
E:\FR\FM\18DEN1.SGM
18DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 243 (Tuesday, December 18, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74872-74873]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30451]
[[Page 74872]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-11742; 2200-1100-665]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Beneski Museum of Natural
History, Amherst College, Amherst, MA
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Beneski Museum of Natural History, Amherst College
(formerly the Pratt Museum of Natural History) has completed an
inventory of human remains, in consultation with the appropriate Indian
tribes, and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between
the human remains and present-day Indian tribes. Representatives of any
Indian tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated with the
human remains may contact the Beneski Museum of Natural History,
Amherst College. Repatriation of the human remains to the Indian tribes
stated below may occur if no additional claimants come forward.
DATES: Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes it has a
cultural affiliation with the human remains should contact the Beneski
Museum of Natural History, Amherst College at the address below by
January 17, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Tekla A. Harms, NAGPRA Coordinator, Beneski Museum of
Natural History, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002; telephone (413)
542-2233.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is here given in accordance with the
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25
U.S.C. 3003, of the completion of an inventory of human remains in the
possession of the Beneski Museum of Natural History, Amherst College.
The human remains were removed from Florida, most likely Brevard or
Indian River counties.
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 human remains. The National Park Service is not responsible
for the determinations in this notice.
Consultation
A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by the NAGPRA
Coordinator and museum staff of the Beneski Museum of Natural History,
Amherst College, and their agents, in consultation with representatives
of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma; Catawba Indian Nation (aka Catawba
Tribe of South Carolina); Cherokee Nation; Chickasaw Nation; Chitimacha
Tribe of Louisiana; Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; Coushatta Tribe of
Louisiana; Jena Band of Choctaw Indians; Miccosukee Tribe of Indians;
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma; Quapaw
Tribe of Indians; Seminole Tribe of Florida (previously listed as the
Seminole Tribe of Florida (Dania, Big Cypress, Brighton, Hollywood &
Tampa Reservations)); The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; The Osage Nation
(previously listed as the Osage Tribe); The Seminole Nation of
Oklahoma; United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma; and
the Wyandotte Nation (hereafter referred to as ``The Tribes'').
Representatives of the Beneski Museum also contacted and attempted to
consult with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; Poarch Band of
Creeks (previously listed as the Poarch Band of Creek Indians of
Alabama); and the Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe.
History and Description of the Remains
In about 1925, human remains representing, at minimum, two
individuals were removed from either the area of Melbourne, in Brevard
County, FL, or the area of Vero Beach, in Indian River County, FL, by
F.B. Loomis, Professor of Geology at Amherst College. In the early
1980s, other remains collected at the same time were transferred from
Amherst College to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department
of Anthropology for permanent curation. These remains are the subject
of a separate Notice of Inventory Completion.
Museum records regarding these human remains are fragmentary and
only indirectly constrain their provenience. The skull of one
individual is marked with a number that corresponds to an entry in the
ledger entitled ``Catalogue of Skeletal Material, Gilbert Museum of
Indian Relics.'' The ``Gilbert Museum'' is an old, informal name for
the Gilbert Collection, which is presently housed in the Beneski Museum
of Natural History, Amherst College. In its entirety, that entry reads:
``Seminole from Melbourne Florida. Complete.'' No known individuals
have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
Both individuals are marked with numbers that resemble the
numbering system used by F.B. Loomis in the field. Loomis was engaged
in excavating in Florida in 1923 and 1925, at least. No field notes
from Loomis's excavations remain, but newspaper reports at the time
indicate Loomis collected from ``burial mounds'' (Melbourne Florida
Times, December 5, 1923). The Boston Globe on November 1, 1925,
reported Loomis and his coworkers excavated ``in Melbourne and on the
east coast of Florida'' for five weeks and ``at Vero Beach'' for two,
obtaining ``50 skulls and about one dozen skeletons.'' This article
also associates these mounds with Native Americans from southern rather
than western Florida, based on the absence of pottery or tools in the
mounds. No doubt, this conclusion derived from an interview with Loomis
himself. Similarly, the Globe reported, ``[t]he skeletons lay in
formation around the mound, and when one layer was completed, earth was
piled on and another layer begun. In this way the growth of the mound
was effected.''
Multiple lines of evidence--guided by tribal consultations--
including geographic, oral tradition, archaeological, linguistic,
historical, and aboriginal land claims, demonstrate a shared group
identity between these human remains and the modern-day tribes of the
Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Oklahoma; Seminole Tribe of Florida; and The
Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.
Determinations Made by the Beneski Museum of Natural History, Amherst
College
Officials of the Beneski Museum of Natural History, Amherst College
have determined that:
Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described
in this notice represent the physical remains of two individuals of
Native American ancestry.
Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there is a relationship of
shared group identity that can be reasonably traced between the Native
American human remains and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Oklahoma;
Seminole Tribe of Florida; and The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be
culturally affiliated with the human remains should contact the NAGPRA
Coordinator, Beneski Museum of Natural History, Amherst College,
Amherst, MA 01002; telephone (413) 542-2233, before January 17, 2013.
Repatriation of the human remains to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation,
Oklahoma; Seminole Tribe of Florida; and The Seminole Nation of
Oklahoma may proceed after that date if no additional claimants come
forward.
[[Page 74873]]
The Beneski Museum of Natural History, Amherst College is
responsible for notifying The Tribes that this notice has been
published.
Dated: November 20, 2012.
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2012-30451 Filed 12-17-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-50-P
