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 the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and additional information on the determinations in ( printed page 52334) 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

Ancestor remains representing, at least, seven individuals have been identified. The 386 associated funerary objects are 207 lithic flakes; 84 undecorated pottery sherds; 66 faunal bone fragments, including mammal and unidentified species; nine projectile points, including Mississippian triangular points and Middle/Late Woodland darts; 13 decorated pottery sherds from a single vessel; two charcoal fragments; one clay pipe fragment; one chert lithic; one lot of carbonized wood; one lot of charred organic material; and one unmodified sandstone fragment. The ancestors and their belongings were removed from site 1Je49, located in southeastern Jefferson County, AL, along the Cahaba River. Collection records held at the University of Alabama at Birmingham identify the site as “1Je49,” “McAvoy,” and “McAvoy Site 1.” Sources external to the university further indicate a possible association with the following sites: 1Je50, McAvoy Site 2, and 1Sh358. Site 1Je49 is a single component site with a large village. Collections were removed from the site in 1974 and 1976 by UAB personnel as part of a larger survey of the Cahaba River Valley in Jefferson County. Site use broadly dates to the Late Woodland to Early Mississippian Period. Diagnostic artifacts indicate a West Jefferson Phase (A.D. 900—1050) association for the site, including the village and burials that were removed from the site. There is no record of any potentially hazardous substances being used to treat the ancestors or their belongings.

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

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has determined that:

• The human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of seven individuals of Native American ancestry.
• The 386 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 Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas; Poarch Band of Creek Indians; Seminole Tribe of Florida; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; and the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town.

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 September 14, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the University of Alabama at Birmingham 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. The University of Alabama at Birmingham is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice and any other consulting parties.

Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.

91 FR 52333