83 FR 62893 - Notice of Inventory Completion: Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 234 (December 6, 2018)

The Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist 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 Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University. 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 234 (Thursday, December 6, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62893-62895]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26436]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0026945; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: Department of Anthropology, 
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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[[Page 62894]]

SUMMARY: The Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist 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 Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist 
University. 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 
Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University at the 
address in this notice by January 4, 2019.

ADDRESSES: B. Sunday Eiselt, Department of Anthropology, Southern 
Methodist University, 3225 Daniel Avenue, Heroy Hall #450, Dallas, TX 
75205, telephone (214) 768-2915, email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby 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, Southern Methodist 
University, Dallas, TX. The human remains were removed from the R.A. 
Watts site, Camp County, TX; the Whiterock Spillway site, Dallas 
County, TX; and the Lower Rockwall site, Rockwall County, TX.
    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 
Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University professional 
staff in consultation with representatives of the Caddo Nation of 
Oklahoma, and the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco 
& Tawakonie), Oklahoma.

History and Description of the Remains

    Sometime in the 1960s, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from the R.A. Watts site (41CP14) in Camp 
County, Texas. The individual was excavated by R. L. Turner, an amateur 
archeologist and private collector. Subsequently (possibly during the 
1960s or 1970s when the Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist 
University was conducting investigations for the Titus County Fresh 
Water Supply District No. 1 in Camp County, TX), Turner transferred 
these human remains to the Department of Anthropology, Southern 
Methodist University. The burial is labeled Feature 3, Area B. No other 
information is known about this individual. No known individuals were 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    Archeologists Timothy L. Sullivan, S. Alan Skinner, and Beverly A. 
Mitchum have dated the major occupation of the R.A. Watts site to the 
Titus Focus of the Late Caddo Period (A.D. 1400-1600). The final, 
published report affiliates this site with the ancestral Caddo. The 
Caddo Nation of Oklahoma claims Camp County, TX as an area of interest.
    In December 1940, human remains representing, at minimum, four 
individuals were removed from the Whiterock Spillway site (41DL83; also 
known as 18D7-1 and 27A5-19D5) in Dallas County, TX. The site was 
excavated by two avocational archeologists, Forrest Kirkland and R. 
King Harris of the Dallas Archeological Society. R. King Harris worked 
in the Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University and, 
upon his retirement in 1974, he transferred the remains of these 
individuals to the Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist 
University. Burial 1 contained an adult male, 30-40 years old, with 
possible healed mandibular infarctions. Burial 4 contained an adult of 
unknown sex, 18-25+ years old, with no skeletal pathology. Burial 5 
contained an adult male, 40+ years old, with no skeletal pathology. 
This individual has dental caries, and has completely lost the cusps of 
the premolars and molars. Burial 7 contained an adult male, 25+ years 
old, with no skeletal pathology. This individual has one dental cavity, 
and has completely lost the cusps of the premolars and molars. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    Archeologists Mark E. Huff, Jr. and Norman Briggs have dated the 
Whiterock Spillway site to the Wylie Focus of the Middle to Late Caddo 
Periods (A.D. 1200-1680). The final, published report affiliates this 
site with the ancestral Caddo. The Caddo Nation of Oklahoma claims 
Dallas County, TX, as an area of interest.
    In 1965, human remains representing, at minimum, three individuals 
were removed from the Lower Rockwall Site (41RW1; also known as 27B1-2, 
RW2) in Rockwall County, TX. The site was excavated by the Department 
of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University under contract to the 
National Park Service. The human remains from Burial 1 consist solely 
of the cranium of a middle-aged female. This grave had been dug into 
the side of the inward slope of the north rim of a large pit. The skull 
was found lying on its right side, with the top of the head to the 
north and the face to the west. Burial 2 contained an adult female, 35-
45 years old. This individual lay in a flexed position on the left 
side, with the head to the west. The head was bent downward with the 
chin resting on the chest and facing toward the east. The right hand 
rested on the top of the head, and the left arm was bent across the 
chest. No description is given for the third individual. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    Archeologists Dessamae Lorrain and Norma Hoffrichter date the 
occupation of the Lower Rockwall site between 1000 B.C. and A.D. 1300, 
i.e. from the Middle/Late Archaic to the Wylie Focus. The final, 
published report affiliates this site with the ancestral Caddo. The 
Caddo Nation of Oklahoma claims Rockwall County, TX as an area of 
interest.

Determinations Made by the Department of Anthropology, Southern 
Methodist University

    Officials of the Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist 
University have determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of eight 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 of Oklahoma.

[[Page 62895]]

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 B. Sunday 
Eiselt, Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, 3225 
Daniel Avenue, Heroy Hall #450, Dallas, TX 75205, telephone (214) 768-
2915, email [email protected], by January 4, 2019. After that date, if no 
additional requestors have come forward, transfer of control of the 
human remains to the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma may proceed.
    The Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University is 
responsible for notifying the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, and the Wichita 
and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco & Tawakonie), Oklahoma 
that this notice has been published.

    Dated: November 7, 2018.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2018-26436 Filed 12-4-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-52-P