[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 50 (Tuesday, March 15, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14055-14056]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-5871]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[2253-665]


Notice of Inventory Completion: California State Department of 
Transportation (Caltrans), Sacramento, CA, and California State 
University, Sacramento, CA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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    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 and associated funerary 
objects in the control of the California Department of Transportation 
(Caltrans), Sacramento, CA, and in the possession of California State 
University, Sacramento, CA. The human remains and associated funerary 
objects were removed from Site CA-SJO-91, also known as French Camp 
Slough Site, San Joaquin County, CA.
    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 and associated funerary objects. The National 
Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.
    A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by California 
State University, Sacramento, and Caltrans professional staff in 
consultation with representatives of the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-
Wuk Indians of California; Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California; 
and Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria, California 
(also known as the Tachi Yokut Tribe), as well as the non-Federally 
recognized Indian groups: The Southern Sierra Miwoks of California, 
Northern Valley Yokuts, and Tubatulabals of Kern Valley. The Chicken 
Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California; Picayune Rancheria of 
the Chukchansi Indians of California; Table Mountain Rancheria of 
California; Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation, 
California; and Wilton Rancheria, California, were also contacted, but 
did not participate in consultation about the human remains and 
associated funerary objects described in this notice.
    In 1970, human remains representing 498 individuals were removed 
from CA-SJO-91 on private property, in San Joaquin County, CA, during a 
salvage excavation project. Faculty and students from what was then 
Sacramento State College (now California State University, Sacramento) 
were brought in by the California Division of Highways (now California 
Department of Transportation [Caltrans]) to conduct salvage 
excavations. No known individuals were identified. The 4,667 associated 
funerary objects are 3,967 beads, 16 bifaces, 4 pieces of charcoal, 1 
charmstone fragment, 1 silicate core, 2 lots of debitage, 490 faunal 
bones, 2 flake tools, 61 tule mat impressions, 20 modified bones, 1 
modified shell, 2 modified stones, 20 pieces of ochre, 14 ornaments, 3 
pestles, 20 projectile points, 35 quartz crystals and pebbles, 6 soil 
samples, and 2 whistles. In addition, there are 187 missing associated 
funerary objects (156 beads, 1 piece of charcoal, 1 igneous core, 15 
lots of debitage, 5 faunal bones, 1 flake tool, 1 modified bone, 1 
quartz rock, 1 steatite ring, and 5 bone whistles).
    Multiple lines of evidence were used to determine the cultural 
affiliation of the CA-SJO-91 collection. Archeological evidence 
indicates that the site was occupied from the Early Horizon through the 
Late Horizon. Most of the burials were in two cemeteries that were 
located 60 meters apart. Other burials were located between the two 
cemeteries or are of uncertain horizontal provenience due to 
construction activities. Cemetery I was radiometrically dated to 
between 1845<plus-minus>90 and 2985<plus-minus>160 years B.P. The 
burial patterns and artifact types in Cemetery I correspond to a 
transitional time period between the Early Horizon and Middle Horizon 
time periods. Cemetery II was not radiometrically dated. Based on mode 
of interment and artifact types, Cemetery II burials date slightly 
earlier to the Early Horizon, although there are similarities in 
constituents between the two cemeteries. A Late Horizon component (1500 
B.P. to European contact) at CA-SJO-91 was essentially removed by 
construction activities before salvage excavations began.
    Biological, archeological, and linguistic evidence indicate that 
population movement occurred between the Early and Middle Horizon in 
the French Camp Slough area. It may be that the individuals buried in 
the Early Horizon Cemetery II represent an earlier, Utian speaking 
people (linguistic evidence supports a relationship of shared group 
identity between early Utian speaking peoples and contemporary Miwok 
tribes), while the individuals in the Middle Horizon Cemetery I may 
represent a more recent pre-Yokut speaking people. Historical and 
geographical lines of evidence indicate that CA-SJO-91 lies on the 
border of the traditional territory of the Plains Miwok and the 
Northern Valley Yokuts. At the time of first contact with Spanish 
missionaries in the early 19th century, the area is thought to have 
been occupied by the Passasime, a Northern Valley Yokuts people who 
were also related to the Plains Miwok. Oral and documentary evidence 
provided by representatives of Indian tribes during consultation 
demonstrates an inter-relationship between Northern Valley Yokuts and 
Plains Miwok tribes.

[[Page 14056]]

    Based on the geographic, linguistic, archeological, and 
ethnographic evidence, as well as oral and documentary evidence 
presented during consultations, Caltrans and California State 
University, Sacramento, including the University's College of Social 
Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies Committee on Native American 
Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Compliance (SSIS NAGPRA 
Committee), reasonably believe that the cultural affiliation of CA-SJO-
91 is to the Plains Miwok and Northern Valley Yokuts.
    Officials of California State University, Sacramento, and Caltrans 
have determined pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), that the human remains 
described above represent a minimum of 498 individuals of Native 
American ancestry. Officials of California State University, 
Sacramento, and Caltrans also have determined, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 
3001(3)(A), that the 4,667 objects described above are reasonably 
believed to have been placed with or near individual human remains at 
the time of death or later as part of the death rite or ceremony. 
Lastly, officials of California State University, Sacramento, and 
Caltrans have determined, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), that there is 
a relationship of shared group identity that can be reasonably traced 
between the Native American human remains and associated funerary 
objects and the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California; 
California Valley Miwok Tribe, California; Chicken Ranch Rancheria of 
Me-Wuk Indians of California; Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California; 
Jackson Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California; Picayune Rancheria 
of the Chukchansi Indians of California; Santa Rosa Indian Community of 
the Santa Rosa Rancheria, California (also known as the Tachi Yokut 
Tribe); Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Shingle Springs 
Rancheria (Verona Tract), California; Table Mountain Rancheria of 
California; Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation, 
California; Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria 
of California; United Auburn Indian Community of the Auburn Rancheria 
of California; and Wilton Rancheria, California, as well as to the non-
Federally recognized Indian groups: the Southern Sierra Miwoks of 
California and Northern Valley Yokuts.
    Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes itself to 
be culturally affiliated with the human remains and associated funerary 
objects should contact Tina Biorn, Caltrans, P.O. Box 942874 (M.S. 27), 
Sacramento, CA 94274-0001, telephone (916) 653-0013, or Charles 
Gossett, Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary 
Studies, California State University Sacramento, CA, 95819-6109, 
telephone (916) 278-6504, before April 14, 2011. Repatriation of the 
human remains and associated funerary objects to the Buena Vista 
Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California; California Valley Miwok 
Tribe, California; Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of 
California; Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California; Jackson Rancheria 
of Me-Wuk Indians of California; Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi 
Indians of California; Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa 
Rancheria, California (also known as the Tachi Yokut Tribe); Shingle 
Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Shingle Springs Rancheria (Verona 
Tract), California; Table Mountain Rancheria of California; Tule River 
Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation, California; Tuolumne Band 
of Me-Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria of California; United 
Auburn Indian Community of the Auburn Rancheria of California; and/or 
Wilton Rancheria, California, may proceed after that date if no 
additional claimants come forward.
    California State University, Sacramento is responsible for 
notifying the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California; 
California Valley Miwok Tribe, California; Chicken Ranch Rancheria of 
Me-Wuk Indians of California; Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California; 
Jackson Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California; Picayune Rancheria 
of the Chukchansi Indians of California; Santa Rosa Indian Community of 
the Santa Rosa Rancheria, California (also known as the Tachi Yokut 
Tribe); Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Shingle Springs 
Rancheria (Verona Tract), California; Table Mountain Rancheria of 
California; Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation, 
California; Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria 
of California; United Auburn Indian Community of the Auburn Rancheria 
of California; and Wilton Rancheria, California, as well as the non-
Federally recognized Indian groups: the Southern Sierra Miwoks of 
California, Northern Valley Yokuts, and Tubatulabals of Kern Valley, 
that this notice has been published.

    Dated: March 9, 2011.
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2011-5871 Filed 3-14-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-50-P