Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska State Office, Anchorage, AK, 72710-72711 [2013-28913]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 232 / Tuesday, December 3, 2013 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–14381;
PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural
Items: Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Denver Art Museum, in
consultation with the appropriate
Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations, has determined that the
cultural items listed in this notice meet
the definition of sacred objects and
objects of cultural patrimony. Lineal
descendants or representatives of any
Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice
that wish to claim these cultural items
should submit a written request to the
Denver Art Museum. If no additional
claimants come forward, transfer of
control of the cultural items to the lineal
descendants, Indian tribes, or Native
Hawaiian organizations stated in this
notice may proceed.
DATES: Lineal descendants or
representatives of any Indian tribe or
Native Hawaiian organization not
identified in this notice that wish to
claim these cultural items should
submit a written request with
information in support of the claim to
the Denver Art Museum at the address
in this notice by January 2, 2014.
ADDRESSES: John P. Lukavic, Ph.D.,
Denver Art Museum, 100 W 14th
Avenue Parkway, Denver, CO 80204,
telephone (720) 913–0160, email
JLukavic@denverartmuseum.org.
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 under the control of the Denver
Art Museum, Denver, CO, that meet the
definition of sacred objects and objects
of cultural patrimony 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.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
History and Description of the Cultural
Items
In 1903, one cultural item was
removed from the Pueblo of Laguna in
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Cibola, Valencia, Bernalillo and
Sandoval counties, NM. One other
cultural item is believed to have been
removed from the same community at
the same time. These two items were
collected by Stewart Culin, the first
curator that collected American Indian
items for the Brooklyn Museum. The
Denver Art Museum subsequently
acquired the two items from the
Brooklyn Museum through an exchange
in 1948. The items are two Katsina
Friends and meet the definition of both
objects of cultural patrimony and sacred
objects.
The review of available
documentation, in addition to physical
inspections by multiple Pueblo of
Laguna delegations, has resulted in
confirmation from Pueblo of Laguna
religious leaders that the two Katsina
Friends are of Pueblo of Laguna origin.
The Pueblo of Laguna asserts that a
relationship of shared group identity
exists between the Pueblo of Laguna in
1903, and the present-day Pueblo of
Laguna. These Katsina Friends were
created within the Pueblo of Laguna
religious system with construction
techniques still used today. In addition
to the positive identification by Laguna
religious leaders that the two Katsina
Friends are of Laguna Pueblo origin,
cultural affiliation with the Pueblo of
Laguna is evident by a variety of
diagnostic features. The catalog cards
also associate these two items with
‘‘Laguna.’’
Determinations Made by the Denver Art
Museum
Officials of the Denver Art Museum
have determined that:
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(C),
the two cultural items described above
are specific ceremonial objects needed
by traditional Native American religious
leaders for the practice of traditional
Native American religions by their
present-day adherents.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(D),
the two cultural items described above
have ongoing historical, traditional, or
cultural importance central to the
Native American group or culture itself,
rather than property owned by an
individual.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there
is a relationship of shared group
identity that can be reasonably traced
between the sacred objects and objects
of cultural patrimony and the Pueblo of
Laguna, New Mexico.
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Lineal descendants or representatives
of any Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice
that wish to claim these cultural items
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Fmt 4703
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should submit a written request with
information in support of the claim to
John P. Lukavic, Ph.D., Denver Art
Museum, 100 W 14th Avenue Pkwy,
Denver, CO 80204, telephone (720) 913–
0160, email JLukavic@
denverartmuseum.org, by January 2,
2014. After that date, if no additional
claimants have come forward, transfer
of control of the sacred objects and
objects of cultural patrimony to Pueblo
of Laguna, New Mexico may proceed.
The Denver Art Museum is
responsible for notifying the Pueblo of
Laguna that this notice has been
published.
Dated: October 30, 2013.
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2013–28929 Filed 12–2–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–50–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–14191;
PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural
Items: U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Land Management, Alaska
State Office, Anchorage, AK
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The U.S. Department of the
Interior, Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), Alaska State Office, in
consultation with the appropriate
Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations, has determined that the
items listed in this notice meet the
definition of unassociated funerary
objects. Lineal descendants or
representatives of any Indian tribe or
Native Hawaiian organization not
identified in this notice that wish to
claim these items should submit a
written request to the BLM Alaska State
Office. If no additional claimants come
forward, transfer of control of the items
to the lineal descendants, Indian tribes,
or Native Hawaiian organizations stated
in this notice may proceed.
DATES: Lineal descendants or
representatives of any Indian tribe or
Native Hawaiian organization not
identified in this notice that wish to
claim these items should submit a
written request with information in
support of the claim to the BLM Alaska
State Office at the address in this notice
by January 2, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Robert E. King, Alaska State
NAGPRA Coordinator, Bureau of Land
Management, 222 W. 7th Avenue, Box
SUMMARY:
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03DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 232 / Tuesday, December 3, 2013 / Notices
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
13, Anchorage, AK 99513–7599,
telephone (907) 271–5510.
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 items
under the control of the BLM Alaska
State Office and in the physical custody
of the American Museum of Natural
History, New York, NY, 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 items. The National Park
Service is not responsible for the
determinations in this notice.
History and Description of the Items
Between 1931 and 1932, 86 partial
sets of polar bear skulls were removed
from the vicinity of the ‘‘Kukulik’’
Eskimo burial mound (also spelled
‘‘Kookoolik’’), about four miles east of
the village of Savoonga, on St. Lawrence
Island, AK. Surviving records report
that at least one skull was recovered
from a depth of ‘‘3 feet and nine inches,
but on clay bottom, associated with
objects of the Old Bering Sea culture.’’
The excavation was done by, or under
authority of, Dr. Otto Geist, who was
affiliated with the Alaska Agricultural
College and School of Mines (today
called the University of Alaska,
Fairbanks, AK). No human remains or
other items are known to have been
removed during this excavation. At an
unknown date after 1932, these polar
bear skulls were sent to the American
Museum of Natural History, New York,
NY (AMNH).
In 1957, one partial polar bear skull
was removed from the vicinity of the
same ‘‘Kukulik’’ Eskimo burial mound
(also spelled ‘‘Kookoolik’’), about four
miles east of the village of Savoonga on
St. Lawrence Island, AK. The excavation
was done by, or under authority of, Dr.
Otto Geist, whose affiliation was then
reported as the University of Alaska at
Fairbanks, AK. No human remains or
other items are known to have been
removed during this excavation. At an
unknown date after 1957, this polar bear
skull was sent to the AMNH.
Between 1931 and 1947, 204 partial
sets of animal bones were likely
removed from the vicinity of human
burials on St. Lawrence Island, AK, by
Dr. Otto Geist or under his authority. At
the time, Dr. Geist was associated with
the Alaska Agricultural College and
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17:36 Dec 02, 2013
Jkt 232001
School of Mines (today called the
University of Alaska in Fairbanks, AK).
Dr. Geist was also associated during
some or all of this time with the
University of Alaska Museum of the
North at Fairbanks, AK. The 204 partial
sets of animal remains include 200
partial polar bear skulls, two dog skulls,
and two post cranial dog skeletons
lacking skulls. Between 1931 and 1947,
these animal bones were sent to the
AMNH.
Dr. Geist’s records at the AMNH state
that some of the polar bear skulls came
from surface contexts and others from
subsurface contexts. As no records
identify the specific provenience for
each specimen, the exact numbers of
surface-collected and subsurfacecollected specimens are unknown. Of
the 291 sets of animal bones listed in
this notice, those found on the surface
are approximately one or two centuries
old. If they were any older, natural
erosion from freeze-thaw action and
consumption by animals would have
destroyed them. The specimens found
in buried contexts, including at least
one partial polar bear skull was found
at a depth of three feet and nine inches
below the surface, may reasonably be
connected to the Old Bering Sea culture
of the region, and date from about 200
B.C. to 500 A.D.
Ethnohistorical and genetic data
indicate a continuity of cultural
occupation of St. Lawrence Island from
at approximately 300 A.D. to the
present. Historical accounts and oral
tradition presented by representatives of
the Native Village of Gambell and the
Native Village of Savoonga support this
evidence for occupation, as well as the
custom of placing polar bear skulls and
dog remains at or near human graves.
Based on the provenience, type, and
condition of the animal remains, they
are directly associated with Native
American inhabitants of St. Lawrence
Island. Descendants of these inhabitants
are members of the Native Village of
Gambell and the Native Village of
Savoonga, who have made a joint
request for these animal bones.
Determinations Made by the BLM
Alaska State Office
Officials of the BLM Alaska State
Office have determined that:
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(B),
the 291 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; the human
remains are not in the possession or
control of the BLM Alaska State Office;
and the items can be identified by a
preponderance of the evidence to have
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Fmt 4703
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72711
been removed from the specific burial
sites of Native American individuals
culturally affiliated with a particular
Indian tribe.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there
is a relationship of shared group
identity that can be reasonably traced
between the items and the Native
Village of Gambell and the Native
Village of Savoonga.
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Lineal descendants or representatives
of any Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice
that wish to claim these items should
submit a written request with
information in support of the claim to
Robert E. King, Alaska State NAGPRA
Coordinator, Bureau of Land
Management, 222 W. 7th Avenue, Box
13, Anchorage, AK 99513–7599,
telephone (907) 271–5510, by January 2,
2014. After that date, if no additional
claimants have come forward, transfer
of control of the unassociated funerary
objects to the Native Village of Gambell
and the Native Village of Savoonga may
proceed.
The BLM Alaska State Office is
responsible for notifying the Native
Village of Gambell and the Native
Village of Savoonga that this notice has
been published.
Dated: September 26, 2013.
David Tarler,
Acting Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2013–28913 Filed 12–2–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–50–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–14192;
PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural
Items: U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Land Management, Alaska
State Office, Anchorage, AK
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The U.S. Department of the
Interior, Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), Alaska State Office, in
consultation with the appropriate
Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations, has determined that the
items listed in this notice meet the
definition of unassociated funerary
objects. Lineal descendants or
representatives of any Indian tribe or
Native Hawaiian organization not
identified in this notice that wish to
claim these items should submit a
written request to the BLM Alaska State
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\03DEN1.SGM
03DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 232 (Tuesday, December 3, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72710-72711]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-28913]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-14191; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: U.S. Department of
the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska State Office,
Anchorage, AK
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), Alaska State Office, in consultation with the appropriate Indian
tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations, has determined that the items
listed in this notice meet the definition of unassociated funerary
objects. Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian tribe or
Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice that wish to
claim these items should submit a written request to the BLM Alaska
State Office. If no additional claimants come forward, transfer of
control of the items to the lineal descendants, Indian tribes, or
Native Hawaiian organizations stated in this notice may proceed.
DATES: Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian tribe or
Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice that wish to
claim these items should submit a written request with information in
support of the claim to the BLM Alaska State Office at the address in
this notice by January 2, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Robert E. King, Alaska State NAGPRA Coordinator, Bureau of
Land Management, 222 W. 7th Avenue, Box
[[Page 72711]]
13, Anchorage, AK 99513-7599, telephone (907) 271-5510.
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 items under the control of the
BLM Alaska State Office and in the physical custody of the American
Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 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 items. The National Park Service is not responsible for the
determinations in this notice.
History and Description of the Items
Between 1931 and 1932, 86 partial sets of polar bear skulls were
removed from the vicinity of the ``Kukulik'' Eskimo burial mound (also
spelled ``Kookoolik''), about four miles east of the village of
Savoonga, on St. Lawrence Island, AK. Surviving records report that at
least one skull was recovered from a depth of ``3 feet and nine inches,
but on clay bottom, associated with objects of the Old Bering Sea
culture.'' The excavation was done by, or under authority of, Dr. Otto
Geist, who was affiliated with the Alaska Agricultural College and
School of Mines (today called the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK).
No human remains or other items are known to have been removed during
this excavation. At an unknown date after 1932, these polar bear skulls
were sent to the American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
(AMNH).
In 1957, one partial polar bear skull was removed from the vicinity
of the same ``Kukulik'' Eskimo burial mound (also spelled
``Kookoolik''), about four miles east of the village of Savoonga on St.
Lawrence Island, AK. The excavation was done by, or under authority of,
Dr. Otto Geist, whose affiliation was then reported as the University
of Alaska at Fairbanks, AK. No human remains or other items are known
to have been removed during this excavation. At an unknown date after
1957, this polar bear skull was sent to the AMNH.
Between 1931 and 1947, 204 partial sets of animal bones were likely
removed from the vicinity of human burials on St. Lawrence Island, AK,
by Dr. Otto Geist or under his authority. At the time, Dr. Geist was
associated with the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines
(today called the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, AK). Dr. Geist was
also associated during some or all of this time with the University of
Alaska Museum of the North at Fairbanks, AK. The 204 partial sets of
animal remains include 200 partial polar bear skulls, two dog skulls,
and two post cranial dog skeletons lacking skulls. Between 1931 and
1947, these animal bones were sent to the AMNH.
Dr. Geist's records at the AMNH state that some of the polar bear
skulls came from surface contexts and others from subsurface contexts.
As no records identify the specific provenience for each specimen, the
exact numbers of surface-collected and subsurface-collected specimens
are unknown. Of the 291 sets of animal bones listed in this notice,
those found on the surface are approximately one or two centuries old.
If they were any older, natural erosion from freeze-thaw action and
consumption by animals would have destroyed them. The specimens found
in buried contexts, including at least one partial polar bear skull was
found at a depth of three feet and nine inches below the surface, may
reasonably be connected to the Old Bering Sea culture of the region,
and date from about 200 B.C. to 500 A.D.
Ethnohistorical and genetic data indicate a continuity of cultural
occupation of St. Lawrence Island from at approximately 300 A.D. to the
present. Historical accounts and oral tradition presented by
representatives of the Native Village of Gambell and the Native Village
of Savoonga support this evidence for occupation, as well as the custom
of placing polar bear skulls and dog remains at or near human graves.
Based on the provenience, type, and condition of the animal remains,
they are directly associated with Native American inhabitants of St.
Lawrence Island. Descendants of these inhabitants are members of the
Native Village of Gambell and the Native Village of Savoonga, who have
made a joint request for these animal bones.
Determinations Made by the BLM Alaska State Office
Officials of the BLM Alaska State Office have determined that:
Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(B), the 291 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; the human remains are not in the possession or
control of the BLM Alaska State Office; and the items can be identified
by a preponderance of the evidence to have been removed from the
specific burial sites of Native American individuals culturally
affiliated with a particular Indian tribe.
Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there is a relationship of
shared group identity that can be reasonably traced between the items
and the Native Village of Gambell and the Native Village of Savoonga.
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian tribe or Native
Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice that wish to claim
these items should submit a written request with information in support
of the claim to Robert E. King, Alaska State NAGPRA Coordinator, Bureau
of Land Management, 222 W. 7th Avenue, Box 13, Anchorage, AK 99513-
7599, telephone (907) 271-5510, by January 2, 2014. After that date, if
no additional claimants have come forward, transfer of control of the
unassociated funerary objects to the Native Village of Gambell and the
Native Village of Savoonga may proceed.
The BLM Alaska State Office is responsible for notifying the Native
Village of Gambell and the Native Village of Savoonga that this notice
has been published.
Dated: September 26, 2013.
David Tarler,
Acting Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2013-28913 Filed 12-2-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-50-P
