Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 160 / Thursday, August 20, 2009 / Notices 42097 

The human remains were removed from 

Chiniak, AK. 

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 on behalf of the 

Alaska State Office of History and 

Archaeology by Alutiiq Museum and 

Archaeological Repository staff in 

consultation with representatives of 

Koniag, Inc.; Leisnoi, Inc.; Lesnoi 

Village (aka Woody Island); Natives of 

Kodiak, Inc.; and Sun’aq Tribe of 

Kodiak. 

Between 1989 and 1991, human 

remains representing a minimum of 

three individuals were removed from 

the Rice Ridge site (49–KOD–00363) 

near Chiniak, AK, during an excavation 

by Philomena Hausler Knecht, a 

Harvard University graduate student. At 

the conclusion of the excavation all of 

these human remains were taken to the 

Kodiak Area Native Association’s 

Alutiiq Culture Center for study and 

storage. In April 1995, the entire site 

collection was transferred to the newly 

founded Alutiiq Museum and 

Archaeological Repository where they 

are now stored in association with 

accession AM19. No known individuals 

were identified. No associated funerary 

objects are present. 

The human remains from Rice Ridge 

were found spread in the site’s lower 

midden deposits, and not in association 

with identified burials. With the 

exception of 13 teeth and a few small 

cranial fragments, the remains were 

identified as human after the excavation 

and were found in faunal samples over 

a period of years. 

The Rice Ridge site is a large, 

prehistoric deposit that lies near the 

coast of Chiniak Bay, on northern 

Kodiak Island in Alaska’s Kodiak 

archipelago. Carbon dates and 

temporally diagnostic artifacts illustrate 

that the site contains a series of distinct 

occupations that span the Ocean Bay 

tradition, with initial settlement at 

about 7100 BP and site abandonment 

after 4400 BP. The human remains 

described above were found in 

association with midden deposits at the 

site. Depth measurements indicate that 

the human remains are primarily 

associated with the deeper and thus 

older levels of the deposit and indicate 

an early known expression of the Ocean 

Bay tradition. Recent archeological 

research in the Kodiak archipelago and 

Chiniak Bay region specifically 

illustrates that the Ocean Bay tradition 

is ancestral to the sequent Kachemak 

tradition, which is in turn ancestral to 

the Koniag tradition observed at historic 

contact. Many Kodiak archeologists 

believe that modern Alutiiqs can trace 

their ancestors back to the Ocean Bay 

tradition. As such, human remains from 

the Rice Ridge site are presumed to be 

Native American and most closely 

affiliated with the contemporary Native 

residents of the Kodiak archipelago, the 

Kodiak Alutiiq. Specifically, they are 

from an area traditionally used by 

citizens and shareholders of Koniag, 

Inc.; Leisnoi, Inc.; Lesnoi Village (aka 

Woody Island); Natives of Kodiak, Inc.; 

and Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak. 

Officials of the Alaska State Office of 

History and Archaeology and the 

Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological 

Repository have determined that, 

pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (9–10), the 

human remains described above 

represent the physical remains of at 

least three individuals of Native 

American ancestry. Officials of the 

Alaska State Office of History and 

Archaeology and Alutiiq Museum and 

Archaeological Repository also have 

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 Koniag, 

Inc.; Leisnoi, Inc.; Lesnoi Village (aka 

Woody Island); Natives of Kodiak, Inc.; 

and Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak. 

Representatives of any other Indian 

tribe that believes itself to be culturally 

affiliated with the human remains 

should contact Dr. Sven Haakanson, Jr., 

Executive Director, Alutiiq Museum and 

Archaeological Repository, 215 Mission 

Rd., Suite 101, Kodiak, AK 99615, 

telephone (907) 486–7004, before 

September 21, 2009. Repatriation of the 

human remains to Koniag, Inc.; Leisnoi, 

Inc.; Lesnoi Village (aka Woody Island); 

Natives of Kodiak, Inc.; and Sun’aq 

Tribe of Kodiak may proceed after that 

date if no additional claimants come 

forward. 

The Alutiiq Museum and 

Archaeological Repository is 

responsible for notifying Koniag, Inc.; 

Leisnoi, Inc.; Lesnoi Village (aka Woody 

Island); Natives of Kodiak, Inc.; and 

Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak that this notice 

has been published. 

Dated: July 31, 2009. 

Sherry Hutt, 

Manager, National NAGPRA Program. 

[FR Doc. E9–19982 Filed 8–19–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–50–S 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Notice of Inventory Completion: 

Chemung Valley History Museum, 

Elmira, NY 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

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 

Chemung Valley History Museum, 

Elmira, NY. The human remains were 

removed from an unknown location in 

the Puget Sound area of Washington 

State. 

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 New York State 

Museum professional staff. The 

Chemung Valley History Museum 

consulted with representatives of the 

Puyallup Tribe of the Puyallup 

Reservation, Washington. 

In 1888, human remains representing 

a minimum of one individual were 

removed from an unknown site in the 

Puget Sound area of Washington State, 

by John James. Subsequently, the 

human remains were given to James 

Stowell, who gave them to Dr. Charles 

Ott, Jr. Dr. Ott, Jr. presented the human 

remains to the Chemung Valley History 

Museum in 1972. The discovery and 

transfer history of the skull was 

described on a display card from an 

exhibit of James Stowell’s Native 

American artifacts from 1967. No 

known individual was identified. No 

associated funerary objects are present. 

The human skull is well-preserved, 

and belongs to a female between the 

ages of 20 and 35. The individual has 

supernumery tooth and cranial 

deformation. The shape of the skull 

indicates cultural modification in the 

form of skull flattening. The practice of 

flattening an infant’s forehead by using 

a series of boards and string was a 

common ancestral tradition among 

Puget Sound tribes. The distinct shape 

of this individual’s skull suggest s 

cultural affiliation to the Puget Sound 

area tribes because of their skullflattening tradition. 


sroberts on DSKD5P82C1PROD with NOTICES
42098 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 160 / Thursday, August 20, 2009 / Notices 

The well-preserved nature of the skull 

is indicative of an aerial burial 

technique. New York State Museum 

staff report that this skull does not show 

evidence of a ground burial, which 

suggests the group practiced mainly 

aerial burial without secondary 

interment, or collection interrupting the 

burial cycle. 

The Puyallup Tribe is one of the tribes 

in the Puget Sound area. The history of 

the Puyallup Tribe records evidence of 

a ‘‘Puyallup graveyard,’’ which was 

situated between the villages on 

Commencement Bay and Point 

Defiance. The graveyard covered 

approximately one acre of ground and 

‘‘contained canoes in various 

conditions.’’ The Puyallup gravesite was 

upset in 1882, when a farmer received 

permission to clear the gravesite for use 

as a pasture. This date, in the same 

decade that John James discovered the 

skull in question, might indicate that 

the skull was unearthed in 1882, and 

found by Mr. James in 1888. Puyallup 

canoe burials involved the body being 

wrapped in robes and blankets and then 

the entire canoe was covered with mats 

with shed water, which is a type of 

aerial burial practiced by the tribes in 

the Puget Sound area. The Puget Sound 

ancestral practices of skull-flattening 

and areal burial are consistent with the 

assessment of the skull by the New York 

State Museum professional staff. The 

tribes in the Puget Sound area are the 

Muckleshoot Indian Tribe of the 

Muckleshoot Reservation, Washington; 

Nisqually Indian Tribe of the Nisqually 

Reservation, Washington; Puyallup 

Tribe of the Puyallup Reservation, 

Washington; Squaxin Island Tribe of the 

Squaxin Island Reservation, 

Washington; Squamish Indian Tribe of 

the Port Madison Reservation, 

Washington; Swinomish Indians of the 

Swinomish Reservation, Washington; 

and Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip 

Reservation, Washington. 

Officials of the Chemung Valley 

History Museum have determined that, 

pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (9–10), the 

human remains described above 

represent the physical remains of one 

individual of Native American ancestry. 

Officials of the Chemung Valley History 

Museum also have 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 Muckleshoot Indian Tribe of the 

Muckleshoot Reservation, Washington; 

Nisqually Indian Tribe of the Nisqually 

Reservation, Washington; Puyallup 

Tribe of the Puyallup Reservation, 

Washington; Squaxin Island Tribe of the 

Squaxin Island Reservation, 

Washington; Squamish Indian Tribe of 

the Port Madison Reservation, 

Washington; Swinomish Indians of the 

Swinomish Reservation, Washington; 

and/or Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip 

Reservation, Washington. 

Representatives of any other tribe that 

believes itself to be culturally affiliated 

with the human remains should contact 

Casey Lewis, Curator, Chemung Valley 

History Museum, 415 E. Water St., 

Elmira, NY 14901, telephone (607) 734– 

4167, before September 21, 2009. 

Repatriation of the human remains to 

the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe of the 

Muckleshoot Reservation, Washington; 

Nisqually Indian Tribe of the Nisqually 

Reservation, Washington; Puyallup 

Tribe of the Puyallup Reservation, 

Washington; Squaxin Island Tribe of the 

Squaxin Island Reservation, 

Washington; Squamish Indian Tribe of 

the Port Madison Reservation, 

Washington; Swinomish Indians of the 

Swinomish Reservation, Washington; 

and/or Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip 

Reservation, Washington may proceed 

after that date if no additional claimants 

come forward. 

The Chemung Valley History Museum 

is responsible for notifying the 

Muckleshoot Indian Tribe of the 

Muckleshoot Reservation, Washington; 

Nisqually Indian Tribe of the Nisqually 

Reservation, Washington; Puyallup 

Tribe of the Puyallup Reservation, 

Washington; Squaxin Island Tribe of the 

Squaxin Island Reservation, 

Washington; Squamish Indian Tribe of 

the Port Madison Reservation, 

Washington; Swinomish Indians of the 

Swinomish Reservation, Washington; 

and Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip 

Reservation, Washington that this notice 

has been published. 

Dated: July 28, 2009. 

Sherry Hutt, 

Manager, National NAGPRA Program. 

[FR Doc. E9–19984 Filed 8–19–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–50–S 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Notice of Inventory Completion: 

Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 

Atlanta, GA 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

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 possession of the Fernbank 

Museum of Natural History, Atlanta, 

GA. The human remains and associated 

funerary objects were removed from St. 

Catherines Island, Liberty County, GA. 

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 inventory and assessment 

of the human remains and funerary 

objects was made by Fernbank Museum 

of Natural History curatorial staff, aided 

by published reports and other 

documentation prepared by the 

American Museum of Natural History, 

and in consultation with the AlabamaQuassarte Tribal Town, Oklahoma; 

Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Oklahoma; 

Poarch Band of Creek Indians of 

Alabama; Seminole Nation of 

Oklahoma; Seminole Tribe of Florida 

(Dania, Big Cypress, Brighton, 

Hollywood & Tampa Reservations); and 

the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, 

Oklahoma. 

The human remains and associated 

funerary objects described in this notice 

are from the St. Catherines Island 

Foundation and Edward John Noble 

Foundation Archeological Collection, 

and were removed from sites on 

privately-owned land on St. Catherines 

Island, GA, during research conducted 

under the auspices of the Edward John 

Noble and the St. Catherines Island 

Foundations. A phased transfer of the 

collection to Fernbank Museum of 

Natural History was initiated in 2004, 

under a gift agreement with both 

foundations, and will be completed by 

January 2010. Presently, Fernbank 

Museum is in possession of 

approximately 90 percent of the 

collection by volume. Except for those 

individuals and associated funerary 

objects described in this notice, most of 

the collection is determined to be 

culturally unidentifiable. The curatorial 

staff of the Fernbank Museum do not 

believe it is possible to trace a shared 

group identity between present-day 

Indian tribes and human remains and 

associated funerary objects that pre-date 

the late prehistoric Mississippian (Irene) 

Period (A.D. 1350–1580) on the Georgia 

coast, since the preponderance of 

evidence presently available from 

archeological, ethnohistorical, and other 

relevant sources does not establish a 

clear historical affiliation. 


sroberts on DSKD5P82C1PROD with NOTICES