Notice of Inventory Completion: Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville, TN, 45920-45922 [2020-16498]
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45920
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 147 / Thursday, July 30, 2020 / Notices
The Harry Ransom Center at
the University of Texas at Austin, in
consultation with the appropriate
Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations, has determined that the
cultural item listed in this notice meets
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 this cultural item
should submit a written request to the
Harry Ransom Center at the University
of Texas at Austin. If no additional
claimants come forward, transfer of
control of the cultural item 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 this cultural item should submit
a written request with information in
support of the claim to the Harry
Ransom Center at the University of
Texas at Austin at the address in this
notice by August 31, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Ester Harrison, Art Registrar
for Loans & Exhibitions, Harry Ransom
Center, University of Texas at Austin,
P.O. Box 7219, Austin, TX 78713–7219,
telephone (512) 471–9127, email
ester.harrison@austin.utexas.edu.
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 one
cultural item under the control of the
Harry Ransom Center, University of
Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, that meets
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.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
History and Description of the Cultural
Item
In 1970, one drum (catalog number
1080) was donated to the University of
Texas at Austin as part of the estate of
Erle Stanley Gardner of Temecula CA,
and subsequently transferred to the
Harry Ransom Center collections. It is
not known when or how Erle Stanley
Gardner originally collected the drum.
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This sacred object and object of cultural
patrimony is a wooden drum with
rawhide ends and lacing, and painted in
ochre, dark brown, and white colors.
Based on initial research by the Harry
Ransom Center, the drum was believed
to be of Southwest Native American
origin. Further research and
consultation with representatives from
the Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico,
found that Cochiti is known by all
Pueblos for creating ceremonial drums
of this style for tribal use in the practice
of traditional native religion.
Accordingly, this drum in the Erle
Stanley Gardner Collection clearly is a
sacred object originating from Cochiti
Pueblo.
Determinations Made by the Harry
Ransom Center, University of Texas at
Austin
Officials of the Harry Ransom Center,
University of Texas at Austin have
determined that:
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(C),
the one cultural item described above is
of 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 one cultural item described above
has 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 drum and the Pueblo of
Cochiti, 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 this cultural item
should submit a written request with
information in support of the claim to
Ester Harrison, Art Registrar for Loans &
Exhibitions, Harry Ransom Center,
University of Texas at Austin, P.O. Box
7219, Austin, TX 78713–7219,
telephone (512) 471–9127, email
ester.harrison@austin.utexas.edu, by
August 31, 2020. After that date, if no
additional claimants have come
forward, transfer of control of the sacred
object and object of cultural patrimony
to the Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico
may proceed.
The Harry Ransom Center, University
of Texas at Austin is responsible for
notifying the Mescalero Apache Tribe of
the Mescalero Reservation, New Mexico;
Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico &
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Utah; Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico
(previously listed as Pueblo of San
Juan); Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico;
Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of
Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe,
New Mexico; Pueblo of Picuris, New
Mexico; Pueblo of Pojoaque, New
Mexico; Pueblo of San Felipe, New
Mexico; Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico;
Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico;
Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico;
Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; San Carlos
Apache Tribe of the San Carlos
Reservation, Arizona; and the Zuni
Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New
Mexico that this notice has been
published.
Dated: June 18, 2020.
Melanie O’Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2020–16499 Filed 7–29–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–52–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–NPS0030489;
PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion:
Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville,
TN
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Tennessee Valley
Authority (TVA) has completed an
inventory of human remains and
associated funerary objects in
consultation with the appropriate
Federally-recognized Indian Tribes, and
has determined that there is no cultural
affiliation between the human remains
and funerary objects and any presentday Federally-recognized Indian Tribe.
Representatives of any Federallyrecognized Indian Tribe not identified
in this notice that wish to request
transfer of control of these human
remains and associated funerary objects
should submit a written request to the
TVA. If no additional requestors come
forward, transfer of control of the
human remains and associated funerary
objects to the Federally-recognized
Indian Tribe stated in this notice may
proceed.
SUMMARY:
Representatives of any Federally
recognized Indian Tribe not identified
in this notice that wish to request
transfer of control of these human
remains and associated funerary objects
should submit a written request with
information in support of the request to
the TVA at the address in this notice by
August 31, 2020.
DATES:
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 147 / Thursday, July 30, 2020 / Notices
Dr. Thomas O. Maher,
Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West
Summit Hill Drive, WT11C, Knoxville,
TN 37902–1401, telephone (865) 632–
7458, email tomaher@tva.gov.
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 and associated
funerary objects under the control of the
Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville,
TN. The human remains and funerary
objects were removed from
archeological sites 1LU495 and 1LU92
in Lauderdale County, AL, and 40HN4/
40HR54 in Hardin County, TN.
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 museum,
institution, or Federal agency that has
control of the Native American human
remains and associated funerary objects.
The National Park Service is not
responsible for the determinations in
this notice.
ADDRESSES:
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Consultation
A detailed assessment of the human
remains was made by TVA professional
staff in consultation with
representatives of the AbsenteeShawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma;
Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas
(previously listed as Alabama-Coushatta
Tribes of Texas); Cherokee Nation;
Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana; Eastern
Band of Cherokee Indians; Mississippi
Band of Choctaw Indians; Poarch Band
of Creeks (previously listed as Poarch
Band of Creek Indians of Alabama); The
Chickasaw Nation; The Choctaw Nation
of Oklahoma; The Muscogee (Creek)
Nation; The Seminole Nation of
Oklahoma; and the United Keetoowah
Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma
(hereafter referred to as ‘‘The Consulted
Tribes’’).
History and Description of the Remains
From June 29 to July 1, 1988, human
remains representing, at minimum, 33
individuals were removed from site
1LU495 by the University of Alabama
archeological field school. TVA
acquired this land on February 18, 1937,
for the Pickwick Reservoir project. The
site is a cave adjacent to Coffee Slough
in the vicinity of Seven Mile Island. The
University of Alabama field school
excavated two small units, but the
chronological placement of the site is
unknown. Human remains from this site
were previously listed in a Notice of
Inventory Completion published in the
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16:38 Jul 29, 2020
Jkt 250001
Federal Register (82 FR 39904–39906,
August 22, 2017) and were transferred
to The Chickasaw Nation. Additional
human remains were found during a
recent improvement in the curation of
the TVA archeological collections at the
Alabama Museum of Natural History
(AMNH). These human remains are too
fragmentary to determine the sex of the
individuals. They belong to 27 adults 18
years or older, and six sub-adults
ranging in age from 1–14 years. No
known individuals were identified.
From October 1937 to December 1938,
human remains and funerary objects
were excavated from site 1LU92 by the
AMNH. Excavation commenced after
TVA purchased this land on November
27, 1935, for the Pickwick Reservoir
project. Site 1LU92 was composed of
both a village and a cemetery.
Excavations focused on the cemetery.
There was no clear stratigraphy at the
site. The excavators believed the village
midden predates the cemetery. The later
occupation is attributed to the Kogers
Island phase of the Mississippian period
(A.D. 1200–1500). Human remains and
associated funerary objects from this site
were previously listed in Notices of
Inventory Completion published in the
Federal Register (81 FR 60378,
September 1, 2016 and 84 FR 38051,
August 5, 2019), and were transferred to
The Chickasaw Nation. Additional
funerary objects were found during a
recent improvement in the curation of
the TVA archeological collection at the
AMNH. The five funerary objects
associated with human remains include
four wood ear spools with copper
staining and one bone pin with copper
staining.
From January 16 to April 26, 1937,
human remains and associated funerary
objects were excavated from the Fisher
Mound, 40HN4/40HR54, by the AMNH.
TVA acquired this site on July 25, 1936,
as part of the Pickwick Reservoir
project. The site was approximately 400
feet north of the border with Alabama
on the right descending side of the
Tennessee River. The site’s most
noticeable surface feature was a conical
mound 70 feet in diameter and 11 feet
high. Using Works Progress
Administration labor and funds, the
AMNH excavated the mound and three
adjacent areas. There are no radiocarbon
dates from this site, and very little
pottery was recovered in the village
area. The mound is generally identified
as a mortuary structure from the Copena
phase (A.D. 100–500). Cultural items
from this site were previously listed in
a Notice of Inventory Completion
published in the Federal Register (83
FR 65738, December 21, 2018), and
were transferred to The Chickasaw
PO 00000
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45921
Nation. Additional funerary objects
were found during a recent
improvement in the curation of the TVA
archeological collection at the AMNH.
The seven funerary objects include five
pieces of daub or clay used to contain
human remains and two galena nodules.
Determinations Made by the Tennessee
Valley Authority
Officials of the Tennessee Valley
Authority have determined that:
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the
human remains described in this notice
are Native American based on their
presence in a prehistoric archeological
site and osteological analysis.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the
human remains described in this notice
represent the physical remains of 33
individuals of Native American
ancestry.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A),
the 12 objects described in this notice
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.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), a
relationship of shared group identity
cannot be reasonably traced between the
cultural items and any present-day
Indian Tribe.
• According to final judgements of
the Indian Claims Commission or the
Court of Federal Claims, the land from
which the cultural items were removed
is the aboriginal land of the Cherokee
Nation; Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians; and the United Keetoowah
Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.
• The Treaty of September 20, 1816,
indicates that the land from which the
cultural items were removed is the
aboriginal land of The Chickasaw
Nation.
• Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1)(ii),
the disposition of the human remains
may be to the Cherokee Nation; Eastern
Band of Cherokee Indians; The
Chickasaw Nation; and the United
Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in
Oklahoma. The Cherokee Nation;
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; and
the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee
Indians in Oklahoma have declined to
accept transfer of control of the human
remains. Accordingly, TVA has decided
to transfer control of the unidentifiable
human remains to The Chickasaw
Nation.
• Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(4),
TVA has decided to transfer control of
the funerary objects associated with the
culturally unidentifiable human
remains to The Chickasaw Nation.
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45922
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 147 / Thursday, July 30, 2020 / Notices
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Representatives of any Federally
recognized Indian Tribe not identified
in this notice that wish to request
transfer of control of these human
remains and associated funerary objects
should submit a written request with
information in support of the request to
Dr. Thomas O. Maher, Tennessee Valley
Authority, 400 West Summit Hill Drive,
WT11C, Knoxville, TN 37902–1401,
telephone (865) 632–7458, email
tomaher@tva.gov, by August 31, 2020.
After that date, if no additional
requestors have come forward, transfer
of control of the human remains and
associated funerary objects to The
Chickasaw Nation may proceed.
The Tennessee Valley Authority is
responsible for notifying The Consulted
Tribes that this notice has been
published.
Dated: June 18, 2020.
Melanie O’Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2020–16498 Filed 7–29–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–52–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Consultation
[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–NPS0030483;
PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: The
Charleston Museum, Charleston, SC
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Charleston Museum has
completed an inventory of human
remains, in consultation with the
appropriate Indian Tribes or Native
Hawaiian organizations, and has
determined that there is a cultural
affiliation between the human remains
and present-day Indian Tribes or Native
Hawaiian organizations. Lineal
descendants or representatives of any
Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice
that wish to request transfer of control
of these human remains should submit
a written request to The Charleston
Museum. If no additional requestors
come forward, transfer of control of the
human remains 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
request transfer of control of these
human remains should submit a written
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
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16:38 Jul 29, 2020
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request with information in support of
the request to The Charleston Museum
at the address in this notice by August
31, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Martha Zierden (Curator of
Historical Archaeology), Jennifer
McCormick (Chief of Collections), The
Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting Street,
Charleston, SC 29403, telephone (843)
722–2996 Ext. 225 or Ext. 244, email
mzierden@charlestonmuseum.org or
jmccormick@charlestonmuseum.org.
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 under the control of
The Charleston Museum, Charleston,
SC. The human remains were removed
from Patterson Farm, near Duck River,
Humphreys County, TN.
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.
A detailed assessment of the human
remains was made by The Charleston
Museum professional staff in
consultation with representatives of The
Chickasaw Nation.
History and Description of the Remains
In 1933, human remains representing,
at minimum, one individual (ANP–46)
were removed from Patterson Farm in
Humphreys County, TN. On or about
May of 1933, Dr. Woldemar H. Ritter
collected cultural materials and four
fragments of human remains from the
surface and plowed fields of Patterson
Farm in Humphreys County, TN. The
human remains, along with other
cultural materials, were donated to The
Charleston Museum by the widow of
W.H. Ritter on May 23, 1941. Mrs. Ritter
resided in East Hartford, CT, at that
time. No other information on the site,
or the collecting method, is available.
No known individual was identified. No
associated funerary objects are present.
(Mrs. Ritter donated 35 objects collected
from the Patterson Farm property,
which The Charleston Museum has
determined are not associated funerary
objects. They include marine snails,
sandstone pebbles, chert flakes and
scrapers, and Adena-type knife or spear
point, a Palmer-type point, triangular
points. Decorated potsherds from the
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Woodland period belong to the Decatur
and Harmon’s Creek cultures.)
Determinations Made by The
Charleston Museum
Officials of The Charleston Museum
have determined that:
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the
human remains described in this notice
represent the physical remains of one
individual 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 Chickasaw Nation.
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Lineal descendants or representatives
of any Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice
that wish to request transfer of control
of these human remains should submit
a written request with information in
support of the request to Martha Zierden
(Curator of Historical Archaeology) and
Jennifer McCormick (Chief of
Collections), The Charleston Museum,
360 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC
29403, telephone (843) 722–2996 Ext.
225 or Ext. 244, email mzierden@
charlestonmuseum.org or jmccormick@
charlestonmuseum.org, by August 31,
2020. After that date, if no additional
requestors have come forward, transfer
of control of the human remains to The
Chickasaw Nation may proceed.
The Charleston Museum is
responsible for notifying The Chickasaw
Nation that this notice has been
published.
Dated: June 18, 2020.
Melanie O’Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2020–16497 Filed 7–29–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–52–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–NPS0030485;
PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion:
Michigan State University, East
Lansing, MI
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
Michigan State University has
completed an inventory of human
remains and associated funerary objects,
in consultation with the appropriate
Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations, and has determined that
there is a cultural affiliation between the
human remains and present-day Indian
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 147 (Thursday, July 30, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45920-45922]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16498]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0030489; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Tennessee Valley Authority,
Knoxville, TN
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has completed an
inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects in
consultation with the appropriate Federally-recognized Indian Tribes,
and has determined that there is no cultural affiliation between the
human remains and funerary objects and any present-day Federally-
recognized Indian Tribe. Representatives of any Federally-recognized
Indian Tribe not identified in this notice that wish to request
transfer of control of these human remains and associated funerary
objects should submit a written request to the TVA. If no additional
requestors come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and
associated funerary objects to the Federally-recognized Indian Tribe
stated in this notice may proceed.
DATES: Representatives of any Federally recognized Indian Tribe not
identified in this notice that wish to request transfer of control of
these human remains and associated funerary objects should submit a
written request with information in support of the request to the TVA
at the address in this notice by August 31, 2020.
[[Page 45921]]
ADDRESSES: Dr. Thomas O. Maher, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West
Summit Hill Drive, WT11C, Knoxville, TN 37902-1401, telephone (865)
632-7458, email [email protected].
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 and
associated funerary objects under the control of the Tennessee Valley
Authority, Knoxville, TN. The human remains and funerary objects were
removed from archeological sites 1LU495 and 1LU92 in Lauderdale County,
AL, and 40HN4/40HR54 in Hardin County, TN.
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 museum, institution, or Federal agency that has
control of the Native American human remains and associated funerary
objects. The National Park Service is not responsible for the
determinations in this notice.
Consultation
A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by TVA
professional staff in consultation with representatives of the
Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; Alabama-Coushatta Tribe
of Texas (previously listed as Alabama-Coushatta Tribes of Texas);
Cherokee Nation; Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana; Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians; Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; Poarch Band of Creeks
(previously listed as Poarch Band of Creek Indians of Alabama); The
Chickasaw Nation; The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; The Muscogee (Creek)
Nation; The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; and the United Keetoowah Band
of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma (hereafter referred to as ``The
Consulted Tribes'').
History and Description of the Remains
From June 29 to July 1, 1988, human remains representing, at
minimum, 33 individuals were removed from site 1LU495 by the University
of Alabama archeological field school. TVA acquired this land on
February 18, 1937, for the Pickwick Reservoir project. The site is a
cave adjacent to Coffee Slough in the vicinity of Seven Mile Island.
The University of Alabama field school excavated two small units, but
the chronological placement of the site is unknown. Human remains from
this site were previously listed in a Notice of Inventory Completion
published in the Federal Register (82 FR 39904-39906, August 22, 2017)
and were transferred to The Chickasaw Nation. Additional human remains
were found during a recent improvement in the curation of the TVA
archeological collections at the Alabama Museum of Natural History
(AMNH). These human remains are too fragmentary to determine the sex of
the individuals. They belong to 27 adults 18 years or older, and six
sub-adults ranging in age from 1-14 years. No known individuals were
identified.
From October 1937 to December 1938, human remains and funerary
objects were excavated from site 1LU92 by the AMNH. Excavation
commenced after TVA purchased this land on November 27, 1935, for the
Pickwick Reservoir project. Site 1LU92 was composed of both a village
and a cemetery. Excavations focused on the cemetery. There was no clear
stratigraphy at the site. The excavators believed the village midden
predates the cemetery. The later occupation is attributed to the Kogers
Island phase of the Mississippian period (A.D. 1200-1500). Human
remains and associated funerary objects from this site were previously
listed in Notices of Inventory Completion published in the Federal
Register (81 FR 60378, September 1, 2016 and 84 FR 38051, August 5,
2019), and were transferred to The Chickasaw Nation. Additional
funerary objects were found during a recent improvement in the curation
of the TVA archeological collection at the AMNH. The five funerary
objects associated with human remains include four wood ear spools with
copper staining and one bone pin with copper staining.
From January 16 to April 26, 1937, human remains and associated
funerary objects were excavated from the Fisher Mound, 40HN4/40HR54, by
the AMNH. TVA acquired this site on July 25, 1936, as part of the
Pickwick Reservoir project. The site was approximately 400 feet north
of the border with Alabama on the right descending side of the
Tennessee River. The site's most noticeable surface feature was a
conical mound 70 feet in diameter and 11 feet high. Using Works
Progress Administration labor and funds, the AMNH excavated the mound
and three adjacent areas. There are no radiocarbon dates from this
site, and very little pottery was recovered in the village area. The
mound is generally identified as a mortuary structure from the Copena
phase (A.D. 100-500). Cultural items from this site were previously
listed in a Notice of Inventory Completion published in the Federal
Register (83 FR 65738, December 21, 2018), and were transferred to The
Chickasaw Nation. Additional funerary objects were found during a
recent improvement in the curation of the TVA archeological collection
at the AMNH. The seven funerary objects include five pieces of daub or
clay used to contain human remains and two galena nodules.
Determinations Made by the Tennessee Valley Authority
Officials of the Tennessee Valley Authority have determined that:
Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described
in this notice are Native American based on their presence in a
prehistoric archeological site and osteological analysis.
Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described
in this notice represent the physical remains of 33 individuals of
Native American ancestry.
Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the 12 objects described
in this notice 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.
Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), a relationship of shared
group identity cannot be reasonably traced between the cultural items
and any present-day Indian Tribe.
According to final judgements of the Indian Claims
Commission or the Court of Federal Claims, the land from which the
cultural items were removed is the aboriginal land of the Cherokee
Nation; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; and the United Keetoowah Band
of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.
The Treaty of September 20, 1816, indicates that the land
from which the cultural items were removed is the aboriginal land of
The Chickasaw Nation.
Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1)(ii), the disposition of the
human remains may be to the Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians; The Chickasaw Nation; and the United Keetoowah Band of
Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. The Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of
Cherokee Indians; and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in
Oklahoma have declined to accept transfer of control of the human
remains. Accordingly, TVA has decided to transfer control of the
unidentifiable human remains to The Chickasaw Nation.
Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(4), TVA has decided to
transfer control of the funerary objects associated with the culturally
unidentifiable human remains to The Chickasaw Nation.
[[Page 45922]]
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Representatives of any Federally recognized Indian Tribe not
identified in this notice that wish to request transfer of control of
these human remains and associated funerary objects should submit a
written request with information in support of the request to Dr.
Thomas O. Maher, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West Summit Hill
Drive, WT11C, Knoxville, TN 37902-1401, telephone (865) 632-7458, email
[email protected], by August 31, 2020. After that date, if no additional
requestors have come forward, transfer of control of the human remains
and associated funerary objects to The Chickasaw Nation may proceed.
The Tennessee Valley Authority is responsible for notifying The
Consulted Tribes that this notice has been published.
Dated: June 18, 2020.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2020-16498 Filed 7-29-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
