[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 160 (Thursday, August 20, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 42107]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-19979]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Inventory Completion: The Public Museum, Grand Rapids, 
MI

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 in the possession of The 
Public Museum, Grand Rapids, MI. The human remains were removed from 
the vicinity of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara 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. The National Park Service is not responsible 
for the determinations in this notice.
    A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by The Public 
Museum's professional staff in consultation with professional staff of 
the University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, and 
with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians of the Santa Ynez 
Reservation, California.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing a minimum of three 
individuals were removed from the vicinity of Santa Barbara, Santa 
Barbara County, CA. In June 1917, The Public Museum purchased 
collections from E.H. Crane that contained these individuals. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    The human remains consist of the partial crania from two adult 
individuals and a relatively complete cranium from a third individual. 
Museum accession records indicate the human remains originated from the 
Santa Barbara area. There were no associated funerary objects or other 
records to use as a basis for dating the human remains. It is the 
expert opinion of Dr. Phil Watson, Anthropologist from the University 
of California at Santa Barbara, that the human remains are affiliated 
with the Santa Ynez Tribe of Mission Indians, based on demonstrated 
cultural continuity for this group in the Santa Barbara area for 6,000 
years. Based on the expert opinion and other information supplied by 
Dr. Watson, as well as tribal consultation evidence, officials of The 
Public Museum reasonably believe the human remains are Native American 
and culturally affiliated to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission 
Indians of the Santa Ynez Reservation, California.
    Officials of The Public Museum have determined that, pursuant to 25 
U.S.C. 3001 (9-10), the human remains described above represent the 
physical remains of three individuals of Native American ancestry. 
Officials of The Public Museum have also determined that, 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 Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians of the Santa Ynez 
Reservation, California.
    Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes itself to 
be culturally affiliated with the human remains should contact Marilyn 
Merdzinski, Director of Collections and Preservation, The Public 
Museum, 272 Pearl St. NW., Grand Rapids, MI 49504, telephone (616) 456-
3521, before September 21, 2009. Repatriation of the human remains to 
the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians of the Santa Ynez 
Reservation, California may proceed after that date if no additional 
claimants come forward.
    The Public Museum is responsible for notifying the Santa Ynez Band 
of Chumash Mission Indians of the Santa Ynez Reservation, California 
that this notice has been published.

    Dated: July 9, 2009.
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. E9-19979 Filed 8-19-09; 8:45 am]
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