81 FR 87060 - Notice of Inventory Completion: Department of Anthropology at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 232 (December 2, 2016)

The Department of Anthropology at Indiana University 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 Indiana University NAGPRA Office. 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.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 232 (Friday, December 2, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 87060-87061]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-28956]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-22457; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: Department of Anthropology at 
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Anthropology at Indiana University 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 Indiana University NAGPRA Office. 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 request with information in support of the request to the 
Indiana University NAGPRA Office at the address in this notice by 
January 3, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Dr. Jayne-Leigh Thomas, NAGPRA Director, Indiana University, 
NAGPRA Office, Student Building 318, 701 E. Kirkwood Avenue, 
Bloomington, IN 47405, telephone (812) 856-5315, 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 under 
the control of the Department of Anthropology at Indiana University, 
Bloomington, IN.
    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 Indiana 
University professional staff in consultation with representatives of 
the Caddo Nation, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Jena Band of the 
Choctaw Indians, and the Mississippi Band of the Choctaw Indians.

History and Description of the Remains

    On an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, 19 
individuals were removed from the Woodward site in Rapides County, LA, 
and were subsequently delivered to the Department of Anthropology at 
Indiana University. The collection is listed as being possibly 
affiliated with the Choctaw and notes indicate it was possibly from the 
Woodward Forest Nursery area. During the late Historic period, a band 
of Choctaw individuals lived in Rapides Parish and left a cemetery near 
the Woodward Forest Nursery.

[[Page 87061]]

    Woodward Place is also known as Rougeau Mounds. Material culture 
previously recovered from this site, specifically ceramics, has been 
attributed to the ancestral Caddo peoples. Additional reports have 
indicated that Rougeau is affiliated with the Caddo people.

Determinations Made by Indiana University

    Officials of the Department of Anthropology at Indiana University 
have determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of 19 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 Caddo Nation, the Choctaw Nation of 
Oklahoma, the Jena Band of the Choctaw Indians, and the Mississippi 
Band of the Choctaw Indians.

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 Dr. 
Jayne-Leigh Thomas, NAGPRA Director, Indiana University, NAGPRA Office, 
Student Building 318, 701 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405, 
telephone (812) 856-5315, email [email protected], by January 3, 
2017. After that date, if no additional requestors have come forward, 
transfer of control of the human remains to the Caddo Nation, the 
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Jena Band of the Choctaw Indians, and 
the Mississippi Band of the Choctaw Indians may proceed.
    Indiana University is responsible for notifying the Caddo Nation, 
the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Jena Band of the Choctaw Indians, 
and the Mississippi Band of the Choctaw Indians that this notice has 
been published.

    Dated: November 18, 2016.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2016-28956 Filed 12-1-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-52-P