Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 20 / Monday, February 2, 2009 / Notices 5857 

Dated: December 31, 2008 

Sherry Hutt, 

Manager, National NAGPRA Program. 

[FR Doc. E9–2117 Filed 1–30–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–50–S 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Notice of Inventory Completion: 

Binghamton University, State 

University of New York, Binghamton, 

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 and associated funerary objects 

in the possession of Binghamton 

University, State University of New 

York, Binghamton, NY. The human 

remains and associated funerary objects 

were removed from the Susquehanna 

Valley, Delaware County, NY. 

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 Binghamton 

University, State University of New 

York professional staff in consultation 

with representatives of the Delaware 

Nation, Oklahoma; Oneida Nation of 

New York; Oneida Tribe of Indians of 

Wisconsin; Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, 

New York (formerly the St. Regis Band 

of Mohawk Indians of New York); and 

Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs, a 

non-Federally recognized Indian group. 

In 1974, human remains representing 

a minimum of two individuals were 

removed from the vicinity of the Sidney 

Airport site (SUBi–094) in Delaware 

County, NY. The human remains were 

uncovered during construction of the 

Interstate–88 highway. An individual, 

named Robert Dann (possibly a 

construction worker), gave the human 

remains to archeologists who were 

working nearby at the Sidney Airport 

site. No known individuals were 

identified. The 50 associated funerary 

objects are 45 pottery sherds (FS 377– 

01), 3 hammerstones (FS 377–03), 1 

pitted stone (FS 377–04), and 1 worked 

stone (FS 377–08). 

The artifacts are determined to be 

associated funerary objects based on 

museum records. A note in the files of 

the Public Archaeology Facility states 

that these artifacts were from the burial 

pit, supporting a determination that the 

human remains are Native American. 

The pottery is culturally unidentifiable, 

although classified as Owasco 

Herringbone, Kelso Corded, Castle Creek 

Incised, Castle Creek Beaded, and Oak 

Hill Corded (A.D. 1100–1450). Based on 

the pottery, the officials of Binghamton 

University cannot demonstrate that the 

people represented in this collection 

had a shared cultural identity with the 

Mohawk or any other present-day 

Indian Tribe. However, there is probably 

a general relationship to early regional 

groups, some of whom later became 

known as the Haudenosaunee 

Confederacy, a non-Federally 

recognized Indian group. 

Officials of Binghamton University 

have determined that, pursuant to 25 

U.S.C. 3001 (9–10), the human remains 

described above represent the physical 

remains of two individuals of Native 

American ancestry. Officials of 

Binghamton University also have 

determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 

3001 (3)(A), the 50 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 

Binghamton University have 

determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 

3001 (2), a relationship of shared group 

identity cannot be reasonably traced 

between the Native American human 

remains and associated funerary objects 

and any present-day Indian Tribe. 

The Native American Graves 

Protection and Repatriation Review 

Committee (Review Committee) is 

responsible for recommending specific 

actions for disposition of culturally 

unidentifiable human remains. On 

August 3, 2007, the Mohawk Nation 

Council of Chiefs and Saint Regis 

Mohawk Tribe submitted a request to 

Binghamton University for disposition 

of the culturally unidentifiable human 

remains and associated funerary objects 

from the Sidney Airport site. The 

Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs and 

Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe have stated 

that they have a responsibility for caring 

for the human remains of any Native 

American ancestors buried within their 

historical aboriginal territory. On 

September 19, 2007, Binghamton 

University petitioned the Review 

Committee concerning the Mohawk’s 

request for disposition of the 

individuals and associated funerary 

objects determined to be ‘‘culturally 

unidentifiable.’’ Included in the petition 

were letters of concurrence from the 

Delaware Nation, Oklahoma; Oneida 

Nation of New York; and Oneida Tribe 

of Indians of Wisconsin. 

The Review Committee considered 

the request at its October 15–16, 2007 

meeting and recommended disposition 

of the human remains and associated 

funerary objects to the St. Regis 

Mohawk Tribe, New York, as the 

aboriginal occupant of the area 

encompassing the Sidney Airport site. A 

November 28, 2007 letter on behalf of 

the Secretary of the Interior from the 

Designated Federal Official, transmitted 

the authorization for the university to 

effect disposition of the culturally 

unidentifiable individuals to the St. 

Regis Mohawk Tribe, New York 

contingent on the publication of a 

Notice of Inventory Completion in the 

Federal Register. This notice fulfills 

that requirement. 

Representatives of any other Indian 

tribe that believes itself to be culturally 

affiliated with the human remains and/ 

or associated funerary objects should 

contact Nina M. Versaggi, Public 

Archaeology Facility, Binghamton 

University, Binghamton, NY 13902– 

6000, telephone (607) 777–4786, before 

March 4, 2009. Repatriation of the 

human remains and/or associated 

funerary objects to the Saint Regis 

Mohawk Tribe, New York, on behalf of 

themselves and the Mohawk Nation 

Council of Chiefs, a non-Federally 

recognized Indian group, may proceed 

after that date if no additional claimants 

come forward. 

Binghamton University is responsible 

for notifying the Delaware Nation, 

Oklahoma; Oneida Nation of New York; 

Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin; 

Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, New York; 

and Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs, 

a non-Federally recognized Indian 

group that this notice has been 

published. 

Dated: December 18, 2008 

Sherry Hutt, 

Manager, National NAGPRA Program. 

[FR Doc. E9–2118 Filed 1–30–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–50–S 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Notice of Inventory Completion: 

Binghamton University, State 

University of New York, Binghamton, 

NY 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 


dwashington3 on PROD1PC60 with NOTICES