[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 50 (Thursday, March 15, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12192-12193]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-4733]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Intent to Repatriate Cultural Items: University of 
Colorado Museum, Boulder, CO

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. 3005, of the intent 
to repatriate cultural items in the possession of the University of 
Colorado Museum, Boulder, CO, that meet the definition of 
``unassociated funerary objects'' under 25 U.S.C. 3001.
    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 cultural 
items. The National Park Service is not responsible for the 
determinations in this notice.
    Between 1954 and 1990, cultural items were legally excavated on 
private land near Yellow Jacket Pueblo (5MT5), Montezuma County, CO, by 
Dr. Joe Ben Wheat, during University of Colorado Museum sponsored 
archeological field schools. The excavated cultural items were 
collected from graves and legally transferred to the museum each 
season. The human remains were not collected due to deterioration or 
other circumstances. The 68 cultural items are 66 ceramic items (whole 
vessels, broken vessels, and sherd lots), 1 stone ax, and 1 bone awl.
    The three habitation sites, identified on the National Register of 
Historic Places as the Joe Ben Wheat Site Complex, are at the head of 
Yellow Jacket Canyon to the west of Tatum Draw and southwest of the 
very large archeological site, Yellow Jacket Pueblo. The Yellow Jacket 
burials were predominantly single interments, appearing in a wide 
variety of locations, including abandoned rooms and kivas, storage 
pits, subfloor burial pits, extramural burial pits, and middens.
    The habitation sites were occupied at various times during the 
Basketmaker III, Pueblo II, and Pueblo III periods, approximately A.D. 
550 - 1250, with a temporary abandonment during the Pueblo I period, 
approximately A.D. 750 - 900. Based on the general continuity in the 
material culture and the architecture of these sites, it appears that 
the community that lived in this area had long-standing ties to the 
region and returned to sites even after migrations away from the locale 
that lasted more than one hundred years. However, by the late 13th 
century, both the Yellow Jacket sites and the nearby Mesa Verde region 
showed no evidence of human habitation. The sites are not used again 
until the 1920s when the locale was homesteaded and farmed.
    The archeological evidence supports identification with Basketmaker 
and later Pueblo (Hisatsinom, Ancestral Puebloan, or Anasazi) cultures, 
which prehistorically occupied southwestern Colorado. Both Basketmaker 
and Pueblo occupations are represented in the archeology at the Yellow 
Jacket site. Archeologists have noted in the scientific literature the 
striking similarity between the technology and style of material 
culture of 13th century archeological sites in southwestern Colorado 
and the material culture remains of 14th century Puebloan sites in 
Arizona and New Mexico.
    Oral-tradition evidence, which consists of migration stories, clan 
histories, and origin stories, was provided by representatives of the 
Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah; 
Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of San Juan, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Ana, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; Pueblo of Ysleta del Sur, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; and Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New 
Mexico. Folkloric evidence in the form of songs was provided by tribal 
representatives of the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo of Cochiti, 
New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; 
and Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico.
    Tribal representatives of the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo 
of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; and Pueblo 
of Taos, New Mexico provided linguistic evidence rooted in place names. 
Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
San Ildefonso, New Mexico; and Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico 
provided archeological evidence based on architecture and material 
culture of their shared relationship.
    Archeological, historical and linguistic evidence presently points 
to Navajo migration to the Yellow Jacket and Monument Ruin area after 
A.D. 1300. During consultation, the Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico 
& Utah emphasized their long presence in the Four Corners and their 
origin in this area, but there is not a preponderance of the evidence 
to support Navajo cultural affiliation.
    Based on a preponderance of evidence, including oral tradition, 
folklore, linguistic, geographic, archeology, historical, and 
scientific studies, cultural affiliation can be traced between the 68 
unassociated funerary objects and modern Puebloan peoples. Modern 
Puebloan peoples are members of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Pueblo of 
Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San 
Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Juan, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Sandia, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa 
Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santo Domingo, New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos, 
New Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; 
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of Texas; and Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, 
New Mexico.
    Officials of the University of Colorado Museum have determined 
that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (3)(B), the 68 cultural items 
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 and are believed, by a preponderance of the 
evidence, to have been removed from a specific burial site of an Native 
American individual. Officials of the University of Colorado 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 unassociated funerary objects and the Hopi Tribe of 
Arizona; Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Laguna, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of Picuris, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Felipe, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Juan, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Sandia,

[[Page 12193]]

New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Santo Domingo, New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; 
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of Texas; and Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, 
New Mexico.
    Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes itself to 
be culturally affiliated with the unassociated funerary objects should 
contact Stephen Lekson, Curator of Anthropology, University of Colorado 
Museum, Henderson Building, Campus Box 218, Boulder, CO 80309-0218, 
telephone (303) 492-6671, before April 16, 2007. Repatriation of the 
unassociated funerary objects to the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico may 
proceed after that date if no additional claimants come forward.
    University of Colorado Museum is responsible for notifying the Hopi 
Tribe of Arizona; Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah; Pueblo of 
Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San 
Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Juan, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Sandia, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa 
Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santo Domingo, New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos, 
New Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; 
Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; 
Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute Mountain Reservation, Colorado, New 
Mexico & Utah; Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo of Texas; and Zuni Tribe of the 
Zuni Reservation, New Mexico that this notice has been published.

    Dated: February 2, 2007.
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. E7-4733 Filed 3-14-07; 8:45 am]
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