Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region, Boise, ID

AGENCY:

National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Interior Region 9: Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region (Reclamation Region 9) has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects 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 October 21, 2024.

ADDRESSES:

Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects identified in this notice to Dr. Sean Hess, Supervisory Regional Archaeologist, Columbia-Pacific Northwest Regional Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 1150 N Curtis Road, Boise, ID 83706, telephone (208) 378-5316, email shess@usbr.gov.

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 Reclamation Region 9, 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, seven individuals have been identified. The three associated funerary objects are one piece of shell, one unidentified animal dewclaw, and one lot of soil. This notice represents the second repatriation of materials from site 45OK7 and was initiated in 2021 due to the discovery of items relocated in museum collections at both Central Washington University and Eastern Washington University. The original Notice of Inventory Completion was published in the Federal Register on June 21, 2011 (76 FR 36153-36154).

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

Reclamation Region 9 has determined that:

• The human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of seven individuals of Native American ancestry.
• The three objects 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.
• There is a connection between the human remains and associated funerary objects described in this notice and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

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 October 21, 2024. If competing requests for repatriation are received, Reclamation Region 9 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. Reclamation Region 9 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.

[FR Doc. 2024-21542 Filed 9-19-24; 8:45 am]

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