83 FR 16118 - Notice of Inventory Completion: New York State Museum, Albany, NY

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 72 (April 13, 2018)

The New York State 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 New York State 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.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 72 (Friday, April 13, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16118-16119]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-07700]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0025283; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: New York State Museum, Albany, NY

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The New York State 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 New York State 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 request with information in support of the request to the New 
York State Museum at the address in this notice by May 14, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Lisa Anderson, New York State Museum, 3049 Cultural 
Education Center, Albany, NY 12230, telephone (518) 486-2020, 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 New York State Museum, Albany, NY. The human remains 
were removed from sites in Onondaga and Tioga Counties, NY.
    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 New York 
State Museum professional staff in consultation with representatives of 
the Onondaga Nation.

History and Description of the Remains

    At some time prior to 1914, human remains representing, at minimum, 
one individual were removed from a site in the town of Pompey in 
Onondaga County, NY. The human remains were acquired in 1914 as part of 
a larger collection purchased from Otis M. Bigelow. The human remains 
consist of a small cranial fragment from an adult individual of unknown 
age and sex. No known individual was identified. No associated funerary 
objects are present.
    Beauchamp described the Pompey area as the early home of the 
Onondaga, where numerous village sites date from the late pre-contact 
period through the seventeenth century.
    In the 1960s, human remains representing, at minimum, two 
individuals were removed from the vicinity of Endicott, possibly the 
Engelbert site, in Tioga County, NY. The human remains were found among 
archeological collections belonging to the New York State 
Archaeological Association Louis A. Brennan/Lower Hudson Chapter, and 
were transferred to the museum in 2011. Information with the human 
remains suggests they may have been excavated by Brennan and studied by 
Dr. Audrey Sublett at Florida Atlantic University in 1967. Sublett 
analyzed human remains from the Engelbert site in 1967 and 1968. The 
human remains represent an adult male, 35-45 years of age, and a single 
ulna of an adult individual of unknown age and sex. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    The Engelbert site is a large, multicomponent habitation site that 
was used intermittently over a period of about 5,000 years. The site 
was also used as a burial site during at least two different periods, 
from about A.D. 1000 to the 1400s, and from the late 1500s to possibly 
the early 1600s. Based on the findings of the NAGPRA Review Committee 
in 2008, the Engelbert site was determined to be culturally affiliated 
with Onondaga Nation and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
    In the 1960s, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from the Oran-Barnes site in Onondaga County, 
NY. The human remains were collected from the surface of the site by 
Stanley Gibson, whose family donated the remains to the museum as part 
of a larger collection in 2009. The human remains consist of a femur 
fragment from an adult individual of unknown age and sex (#A2009.35K). 
No known individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    In 1976, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from the Oran-Barnes site in Onondaga County, NY. The 
human remains were collected from the surface of a hillside midden by 
James Bradley, who donated them to the museum in 2009. The human 
remains include one small cranial fragment and a tooth representing at 
least one adult individual of unknown age and sex (#A2009.13B.99.16-
17). No known individual was identified. No associated funerary objects 
are present.
    The Oran-Barnes site is a large village site that has been dated to 
the late pre-contact period, circa A.D. 1500, based on the type of 
settlement and the artifacts present, including pottery.
    In 1977, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from the Shurtleff site in Onondaga County, NY. The human 
remains were collected from the surface of a hillside midden by James 
Bradley, who donated them to the museum as part of a larger collection 
in 2012. The human remains consist of three small cranial fragments and 
a foot phalange from at least one adult individual of unknown age and 
sex (#A2012.05B.61-62). No known individual was identified. No 
associated funerary objects are present.
    The Shurtleff site is considered an early historic Onondaga village 
site that has been dated to approximately A.D. 1635-1645 (or 1630-1640) 
based on the types of glass beads found at the site.

Determinations Made by the {Museum or Federal Agency{time} 

    Officials of the New York State Museum have determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of 6

[[Page 16119]]

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 Onondaga 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 Lisa 
Anderson, New York State Museum, 3049 Cultural Education Center, 
Albany, NY 12230, telephone (518) 486-2020, email 
[email protected], by May 14, 2018. After that date, if no 
additional requestors have come forward, transfer of control of the 
human remains to the Onondaga Nation may proceed.
    The New York State Museum is responsible for notifying the Onondaga 
Nation that this notice has been published.

    Dated: March 22, 2018.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2018-07700 Filed 4-12-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-52-P