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 Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 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 one individual have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The ancestors were recovered from 9LI66, Walburg Creek (AMNH 385), on St. Catherines Island in Liberty County, Georgia. These materials were recovered from two test pits during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1970s by the American Museum of Natural History under the direction of Dr. David Hurst Thomas. The remains were subsequently subjected to bioarcheological study under the direction of Dr. Clark S. Larsen, working in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History. After storage for intervals at the American Museum of Natural History and on St. Catherines Island, the remains and funerary objects were transferred in 2004 to Fernbank Museum of Natural History by the St. Catherines Island and Edward John Noble Foundations. There is no evidence of any potentially hazardous substances used to treat any of the human remains.

Human remains representing at least 15 individuals have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The ancestors were recovered from 9Li74, Santa Catalina de Guale Mission cemetery, on St. Catherines Island in Liberty County, Georgia. The materials were recovered during archaeological excavations under the direction of Dr. David Hurst Thomas and Dr. Clark Larsen, working in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History. The remains represent small quantities of highly fragmented bone and ash that were sent to the University of Wisconsin—Madison for isotopic analysis and recently integrated into the collection at Fernbank. There is no evidence of any potentially hazardous substances used to treat any of the human remains.

Human remains representing at least two individuals have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The ancestors were identified in collections with no context or provenience other than they were recovered from St. Catherines Island in Liberty County, Georgia. The materials would have been recovered during archaeological excavations conducted by the American Museum of Natural History under the direction of Dr. David Hurst Thomas. The remains were likely subjected to bioarcheological study under the direction of Dr. Clark S. Larsen, working in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History. After storage for intervals at the American Museum of Natural History and on St. Catherines Island, the remains were transferred in 2004 to Fernbank Museum of Natural History by the St. Catherines Island and Edward John Noble Foundations. There is no evidence of any potentially hazardous substances used to treat any of the human remains.

Cultural Affiliation

Based on the information available and the results of consultation, cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical location and acquisition history of the human remains described in this notice.

Determinations

The Fernbank Museum of Natural History has determined that:

• The human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of at least 18 individuals of Native American ancestry.
• There is a connection between the human remains described in this notice and the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town; Miccosukee Tribe of Indians; Poarch Band of Creek Indians; Seminole Tribe of Florida; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; and the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town.

Requests for Repatriation

Written requests for repatriation of the human remains 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 described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after November 23, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Fernbank Museum of Natural History must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human remains are considered a single request ( printed page 66717) and not competing requests. The Fernbank Museum of Natural History 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.

91 FR 66716