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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 8 (Thursday, January 11, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1941-1943]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00432]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0037217; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]

Notice of Inventory Completion: University of California, 
Riverside, Riverside, CA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and 
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of California, Riverside has 
completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects 
and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the 
human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or 
Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The human remains and 
associated funerary objects were removed from Riverside, CA.

DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary 
objects in this notice may occur on or after February 12, 2024.

[[Page 1942]]

ADDRESSES: Megan Murphy, University of California, Riverside, 900 
University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92517-5900, telephone (951) 827-6349, 
email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published as part of the 
National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA. 
The determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of the 
University of California, Riverside. The National Park Service is not 
responsible for the determinations in this notice. Additional 
information on the determinations in this notice, including the results 
of consultation, can be found in the inventory or related records held 
by the University of California, Riverside.

Description

    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from Riverside County, CA. In 1972, the human remains of at least one 
Native American individual were removed from archeological site CA-RIV-
64 (also known as the Indian Wells Site) during an archeological field 
school for students of Cabrillo College and the University of 
California, Riverside. The human remains, identified as a human canine 
tooth, were not initially identified as human in the field, but were 
noted as being possibly human in the original catalog records. This 
identification went unnoticed until 2023 during consultation with 
Tribal representatives and an osteological consultant, who confirmed 
the tooth to be human. During consultation the Tribal representatives 
also identified associated funerary objects. The seven lots of 
associated funerary objects are one lot of ceramics, one lot of clay, 
one lot of lithic artifacts, one lot of animal bone, one lot of floral/
organic materials, one lot of fire-altered rock, and one lot of 
geological materials.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from Riverside County, CA. In 1985, the human remains of at least one 
Native American individual were removed by the University of 
California, Riverside Archaeological Research Unit under direction of 
Philip Wilke during the excavation of Burns Ranch (also known as Rancho 
del Gato, and La Quinta Cove, archeological sites CA-RIV-1179 and CA-
RIV-2827). The excavation was contracted by the Crystal Canyon Country 
Club ahead of the building of a housing property and golf course that 
would destroy the sites. Native American human remains of at least nine 
individuals were removed during excavation and a sample of human bone 
was submitted to the UCR Radiocarbon Laboratory which yielded an age of 
720 +/-120 years BP. According to catalog records, 51 catalog numbers 
representing human bone and associated funerary objects, were 
reportedly removed from the collection to be reburied in La Quinta in 
1990 at the request of the Tribe who was monitoring the project. During 
NAGPRA consultation in 2023, an osteological consultant identified 
additional human bone fragments and cremation elements in the 
collection which were not returned in 1990. Tribal representatives also 
identified associated funerary objects that were also not reburied in 
1990. It is unclear how many individuals are still represented in the 
collection as the original catalogs do not differentiate between 
specific individuals and the human remains are too fragmentary to make 
a reliable determination beyond a minimum of one individual. The 15 
associated funerary objects are two lots of animal bone, two lots of 
ceramics, two lots of lithic materials and tools, one lot of metal 
objects, one lot of shell beads, one lot of basketry, two lots of other 
organic/floral materials, one lot of geological materials, two lots of 
unmodified shell, and one lot of fire-altered rock.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from Riverside County, CA. In 1990, the University of California, 
Riverside Archaeological Research Unit was contracted by the Chateau 
Development Company to conduct an archeological assessment of a tract 
of land in the city of La Quinta ahead of plans for a residential 
development. During the archeological excavation, five archeological 
sites were identified including CA-RIV-1182, CA-RIV-3143, CA-RIV-3144, 
CA-RIV-3868, and CA-RIV-3882. A cremation locus was identified in the 
boundaries of CA-RIV-3144 and the human remains of one adult, male 
Native American were removed from the surface of the area. Following 
the conclusion of the archeological excavations, 2,648 cremated human 
bone fragments were returned to a local Tribe and were reburied nearby 
in La Quinta on August 16, 1990. The funerary objects buried with the 
individual, however, were not returned and remained in the collections 
housed at UCR. In 2023, during Tribal consultation, an osteological 
consulted identified additional human remains that were still present 
in the collections. Tribal representatives also identified a number of 
funerary objects present in the collections. The 16 associated funerary 
objects are three lots of ceramics, three lots of lithics, two lots of 
shell beads, three lots of faunal remains, three lots of floral 
material, and two lots of unmodified shell.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, three individuals were 
removed from Riverside County, CA. In 1989, the University of 
California, Riverside Archaeological Research Unit was contracted by 
the Transpacific Development Company to conduct an archeological 
assessment of a tract of land at the northeast corner of Washington 
Street and State Highway 111 in the city of La Quinta. During the 
archeological excavation, which was in the vicinity of the historic 
Cahuilla village of Pal Kavinic, six archeological sites were 
identified including CA-RIV-2200, CA-RIV-2936, CA-RIV-3679, CA-RIV-
3680, CA-RIV-3681, and CA-RIV-3682. One human tarsal bone was removed 
from CA-RIV-3682 but was not identified as human during the project 
analysis. In 2023, during Tribal consultation, an osteological 
consultant identified the bone as human. Additionally, the osteologist 
identified one cranial fragment and one juvenile long-bone fact from 
CA-RIV-3680 and one humerus fragment from CA-RIV-3681. Tribal 
representatives also identified associated funerary objects in the 
collection. The 19 associated funerary objects are three lots of animal 
bones, three lots of ceramic, two lots of lithics, one lot of metal, 
two lots of shell objects, two lots of floral material, one lot of 
other organic material, two lots of geological materials, two lots of 
unmodified shell, and one lot of fire-altered rock.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, two individuals were 
removed from Riverside County, CA. In 1992, the Keith Companies, 
Archaeology Division, were contracted by the Shadowridge Creek Country 
Club to conduct a field survey for a parcel of land proposed for the 
development of a golf course and residential area. During the survey 
two prehistoric sites were identified, CA-RIV-785 and CA-RIV-4729, and 
surface materials were collected. At CA-RIV-785, archeologists observed 
a hearth feature and collected ceramic sherds, animal bone, and 
cremated human remains from the surface. They also collected surface 
materials from a small nearby scatter assigned the trinomial CA-RIV-
4729. These collections were subsequently housed at UCR. In 1993, a 
Tribe requested that the Keith Companies return the cremated human bone 
and associated shell beads that were collected from CA-RIV-785 to the 
Tribe

[[Page 1943]]

for reburial. On October 29, 1993, Tribal representatives for the Tribe 
reburied 118 human bone elements and five associated shell beads that 
were returned to them. The other materials in the collection, however, 
remained at UCR and Tribes were not given the opportunity to review 
them. In 2023, during NAGPRA consultation, an osteological consultant 
identified additional human remains in the collections that were not 
returned to the Tribe in 1993, including one cremated infant bone and 
cremated adult bone fragments. Tribal representatives also identified 
additional associated funerary objects in the collection that were not 
returned in 1993. The 10 associated funerary objects are two lots of 
ceramic, one lot of glass, two lots of lithic flakes and objects, one 
lot of metal, one lot of shell beads, two lots of animal bone, and one 
lot of floral material and charcoal.

Cultural Affiliation

    The human remains and associated funerary objects in this notice 
are connected to one or more identifiable earlier groups, tribes, 
peoples, or cultures. There is a relationship of shared group identity 
between the identifiable earlier groups, tribes, peoples, or cultures 
and one or more Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. The 
following types of information were used to reasonably trace the 
relationship: archeological information, geographical information, 
historical information, kinship, oral tradition, and expert opinion.

Determinations

    Pursuant to NAGPRA and its implementing regulations, and after 
consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian 
organizations, the University of California, Riverside has determined 
that:
     The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of eight individuals of Native American ancestry.
     The 67 objects described in this notice 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.
     There is a relationship of shared group identity that can 
be reasonably traced between the human remains and associated funerary 
objects described in this notice and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla 
Indians of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation, California; Augustine 
Band of Cahuilla Indians, California; Cabazon Band of Cahuilla Indians 
(Previously listed as Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, California); 
Cahuilla Band of Indians; Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno 
Indians, California; Morongo Band of Mission Indians, California; 
Ramona Band of Cahuilla, California; Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla 
Indians, California; and the Torrez Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, 
California.

Requests for Repatriation

    Written requests for repatriation of the human remains and 
associated funerary objects in this notice must be sent to the 
Responsible Official identified in ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation 
may be submitted by:
    1. Any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian 
organizations identified in this notice.
    2. Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian 
organization not identified in this notice who shows, by a 
preponderance of the evidence, that the requestor is a lineal 
descendant or a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian 
organization.
    Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects 
in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after February 12, 2024. 
If competing requests for repatriation are received, the University of 
California, Riverside must determine the most appropriate requestor 
prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human 
remains and associated funerary objects are considered a single request 
and not competing requests. The University of California, Riverside is 
responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and 
Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice.
    Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.9, 10.10, 
and 10.14.

    Dated: January 4, 2024.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2024-00432 Filed 1-10-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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