[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81930-81934]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23369]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0038840; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Tennessee, 
Department of Anthropology, Knoxville, TN

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 Tennessee, Department of 
Anthropology (UTK) 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.

DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary 
objects in this notice may occur on or after November 8, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Dr. Ellen Lofaro, University of Tennessee, Office of 
Repatriation, 5723 Middlebrook Pike, Knoxville, TN 37921-6053, 
telephone (865) 974-3370, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#066867617674674673726d28636273"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2c424d4b5c5e4d6c59584702494859">[email protected]</span></a>.

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 UTK, 
and additional information on the determinations in this notice, 
including the results of consultation, can be found in its inventory or 
related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the 
determinations in this notice.

Abstract of Information Available

    Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On October 27, 
1992, the remains were discovered by two children on the side of a road 
in Bradley County, TN. They notified the police, and on November 11, 
1992, a detective from the Bradley County Sheriff's Department 
contacted William Bass at UTK for his assistance in examining the 
remains. The detective sent the remains to Bass at UTK, where they were 
received on November 20. After Bass verified that the remains were not 
of medicolegal concern (not a missing person or crime victim), and that 
they were Native American, the remains were retained by the UTK 
Forensic Anthropology Center (FAC) as case 92-30 where they remained 
until they were recently transferred to the UTK Office of Repatriation 
(OR). Some of the remains were ``repaired'' using an unknown glue, but 
to our knowledge, the remains were not treated with any potentially 
hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On an unknown 
date, this individual was removed from an unknown rock shelter in 
Cumberland County, Tennessee. The shelter reportedly had a

[[Page 81931]]

history of extensive looting by pothunters. On August 20, 1998, an 
investigator from the Cumberland County Sherriff's Office brought the 
individual to the UTK Forensic Anthropology Center (FAC) for 
examination. After FAC staff determined that the individual was Native 
American, and not of medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC 
as case 98-32. They remained at the FAC until they were recently 
transferred to the UTK Office of Repatriation (OR). To our knowledge, 
the remains were not treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On February 19, 
1990, a landowner found the individual in a rock shelter in DeKalb 
County, TN, and reported them to the police. The following day, a 
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Special Agent contacted William 
Bass at the FAC for assistance in recovering and assessing any human 
remains present. Graduate students Murray Marks and Lee Meadows went to 
the rock shelter and removed the individual. After the individual was 
determined to be Native American and not of medicolegal concern, they 
were retained by the FAC as case 90-11. They remained at the FAC until 
they were recently transferred to the OR. Some of the remains were 
``repaired'' using an unknown adhesive, but to our knowledge, the 
remains were not treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On an unknown 
date, the individual was found by a high school student in a cave in 
Grainger County, TN, and turned over to Knoxville police. On November 
3, 1987, a Knoxville police officer brought the individual to Bass at 
the FAC for examination. Once they were determined to be Native 
American and not of medicolegal concern, this individual was retained 
by the FAC as case 87-15. They remained at the FAC until they were 
recently transferred to the OR. To our knowledge the remains were not 
treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been 
identified. The one associated funerary object is one lot of lithics. 
The remains were found among a deceased person's belongings in Hamilton 
County, TN, on May 18, 2011, and were reported to the police. The 
Chattanooga Medical Examiner, Roger Wilkey, contacted the FAC for aid 
in determining if the remains were Native American. Wilkey transferred 
the remains to the FAC on June 1, 2011. Once the FAC examined the 
remains and verified that the remains were Native American, and not of 
medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC as case 11-11. They 
remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the OR. 
Some of the remains have been treated with a light layer of an unknown 
grayish preservative. The lithics were treated with an unknown 
adhesive, and some of the remains were ``repaired'' with an unknown 
adhesive, but to our knowledge, the remains and associated funerary 
objects were not treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, three individuals have been 
identified. The one associated funerary object is one lot of lithics. 
On March 18, 1996, a man contacted law enforcement after his children 
found human remains in Jefferson County, TN. A Jefferson County 
Sheriff's detective sergeant called Murray Marks at the FAC and 
subsequently transferred the remains for assessment. Once they were 
determined to be Native American and not of medicolegal concern, they 
were retained by the FAC as case 96-14. They remained at the FAC until 
they were recently transferred to the OR. A gray, paper-like substance 
adheres to some of the remains, but to our knowledge the remains and 
funerary objects were not treated with any potentially hazardous 
substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On January 12, 
2000, this individual was found in a plastic bag in Jefferson County, 
TN. The Dandridge, TN, 911 service contacted the FAC, and the 
individual was transferred to the FAC for analysis. Once the individual 
was determined to be Native American and not of medicolegal concern, 
they were retained by the FAC as case 00-1. They remained at the FAC 
until they were recently transferred to the OR. To our knowledge, the 
remains were not treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. Around the 
1980s, a man found this individual in or near a graveyard by Douglas 
Lake, in Jefferson County, TN. On January 7, 2011, the man transferred 
this individual to a dentist for examination. On January 17, 2011, the 
dentist transferred the individual to the Blount County Sheriff's 
Office. On January 19, 2011, an investigator from the Sheriff's Office 
brought the individual to the FAC where they were examined by Dr. Lee 
Meadows Jantz and graduate student Miriam Soto. After the examination, 
this individual was retained by the FAC as case 11-01. FAC staff 
recently determined this individual to be Native American. They 
remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the OR. To 
our knowledge, the remains were not treated with any potentially 
hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, two individuals have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On April 24, 
1995, an undergraduate student of Murray Marks (then a UTK professor) 
brought in these individuals, which she claimed had been found in an 
abandoned house in west Knox County, TN. Marks and Lee Meadows examined 
the remains and determined that they were Native American and not of 
medicolegal concern. The FAC retained these individuals as case 95-13. 
They remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the 
OR. Some of the remains were ``repaired'' using an unknown glue, but to 
our knowledge the remains were not treated with any potentially 
hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On March 15, 
1997, this individual was discovered in a shed in Knoxville, Knox 
County, TN. Knoxville police were notified, and they reached out to 
Bass for assistance. Bass took this individual to the FAC, and once his 
examination was complete, this individual was retained by the FAC as 
case 97-10. FAC staff recently determined that this individual was 
Native American, and not of medicolegal concern. The individual 
remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the OR. To 
our knowledge the remains were not treated with any potentially 
hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. At an unknown 
date, a resident of Loudon County, TN, reportedly purchased these 
remains at a flea market believing they were fake, but after more 
careful observation, realized that they were real and contacted law 
enforcement. A TBI special agent brought the individual to the FAC for 
examination on August 25, 2008. After Lee Meadows Jantz and Kevin 
Hufnagl examined the individual and determined that they were Native 
American and not of medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC 
as case 08-14. They remained at the FAC until they were recently 
transferred

[[Page 81932]]

to the OR. To our knowledge the remains were not treated with any 
potentially hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, six individuals have been 
identified. The one associated funerary object is one lot of burial 
soil. At an unknown date, these remains were removed by an unknown 
party from an unknown site. On January 27, 1981, they were left on the 
porch of the McMinn County, TN, Courthouse. The McMinn County Medical 
Examiner, William Foree, contacted Bass and had the remains transferred 
to UTK for examination on January 27. After Patrick Willey examined the 
remains and determined that they were Native American and not of 
medicolegal concern, they were retained as FAC case 81-3. The remains 
were recently transferred from the FAC to the OR. Some of the remains 
were ``repaired'' using an unknown glue, but to our knowledge, the 
remains and funerary object were not treated with any potentially 
hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, two individuals have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On an unknown 
date, likely in spring 1981, these remains were left by an unknown 
party on the doorstep of the Tennessee Valley Authority office in 
Athens, McMinn County, TN. The remains were turned over to the Athens 
Police Department, who transferred them to Patrick Willey and Lorna 
Watkins at UTK for examination on June 15, 1981. After the remains were 
determined to be Native American, and not of medicolegal concern, they 
were retained as FAC case 81-15. The remains were recently transferred 
from the FAC to the OR. To our knowledge, the remains were not treated 
with any potentially hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, two individuals have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. These 
individuals were confiscated in the fall of 2002 by police during a 
raid of a home in Monroe County, TN. A deputy from the Monroe County 
Sheriff's Department transferred the individuals to the FAC for 
examination. Once Lee Meadows Jantz and Richard Jantz examined the 
individuals and determined they were Native American and not of 
medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC as case 02-43. They 
remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the OR. 
Some of the remains were ``repaired'' using an unknown adhesive and 
unknown glue, but to our knowledge the remains were not treated with 
any potentially hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, two individuals have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On August 15, 
1983, a woman contacted Bass about these individuals, which were found 
in a landfill in Morgan County, TN. At an unknown date, the individuals 
were transferred to the FAC, and they were retained by the FAC as case 
83-19. Recently FAC staff determined that these individuals were Native 
American and not of medicolegal concern. They remained at the FAC until 
they were recently transferred to the OR. Some of these remains were 
``repaired'' using an unknown glue, but to our knowledge the remains 
were not treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, two individuals have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On April 12, 
1977, a man digging along the bank of the Tennessee River in Rhea 
County, TN, found these remains and reported them to law enforcement. 
On that same day, the District Attorney General of the 18th Judicial 
District and a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Agent reached out to 
Bass and requested his help in identifying the remains. The remains 
were sent to Bass, who received them in mid-April. Bass examined the 
remains and determined they were Native American and not of medicolegal 
concern. The remains were retained as FAC case 77-1. The remains were 
treated with an unknown preservative and some of them were ``repaired'' 
with an unknown adhesive, but to our knowledge, the remains were not 
treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been 
identified. The three associated funerary objects are one lot of faunal 
remains, one lot of lithics, and one lot of ceramics. At an unknown 
date, likely in July 1990, an unknown person found the burial eroding 
from the bank of a river in Rhea County, TN, and contacted law 
enforcement. An investigator from the Rhea County Sherriff's Department 
contacted Bass for assistance in assessing the burial on July 22, 1990. 
Bass sent two graduate students, Lee Meadows and Murray Marks, to visit 
the site with the investigator on July 24, 1990. By the time they 
arrived, people had begun to loot the site. Meadows and Marks removed 
the remains and took them back to the FAC for examination. They 
determined that the remains were Native American, and not of 
medicolegal concern. Based off the associated funerary objects, the FAC 
determined the remains dated to around 1200 CE. The remains were 
retained by the FAC as case 90-27. They remained at the FAC until they 
were recently transferred to the OR. To our knowledge, the remains and 
funerary objects were not treated with any potentially hazardous 
substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been 
identified. The one associated funerary object is one lot of faunal 
remains. On an unknown date, this individual was found along a river in 
Roane County, TN. On January 29, 1980, the Roane County Sheriff's 
Department requested Bass's help in identifying the remains, and they 
were transferred to Bass that same day. Once Bass determined that they 
were Native American and not of medicolegal concern, they were retained 
by the FAC as case 80-3. They remained at the FAC until they were 
recently transferred to the OR. Some of the remains may have been 
treated with an unknown preservative, but to our knowledge the remains 
and funerary objects were not treated with any potentially hazardous 
substances.
    Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On March 3, 
1993, a sergeant from the Oak Ridge, TN, Police Department brought this 
individual to Bass for examination. It is unclear whether this 
individual came from the Anderson County side or the Roane County side 
of Oak Ridge. After Bass determined the individual was Native American 
and not of medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC as case 
93-12. They remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to 
the OR. Some of the remains were ``repaired'' using an unknown glue, 
and the remains may have been treated with an unknown preservative, but 
to our knowledge the remains were not treated with any potentially 
hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least one individual have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. In April 1986, 
a physician at the University of Tennessee Memorial Hospital received 
the remains from a patient who had removed them from site 40SV28, in 
Sevier County, TN, on an unknown date. The physician transferred the 
remains to a radiologist at the hospital, who contacted Bass. Bass 
received the remains from the radiologist on April 16, 1986. On May 2, 
1986, UTK professor Patrick Willey went to the cave with the patient to 
ascertain if the remains were of forensic interest and reportedly found 
burial(s) containing at least four individuals. These individuals were 
left in the cave. The remains previously removed from

[[Page 81933]]

the cave were determined to be Native American and not of medicolegal 
concern and were retained by the FAC as case 86-9. They remained at the 
FAC until they were recently transferred to the OR. To our knowledge 
the remains were not treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least two individuals have been 
identified. The one associated funerary object is one lot of faunal 
remains. On an unknown date, children found the remains in a cave in 
Sevier County, TN. On March 19, 1993, the Sevier County Sheriff's 
Office transferred the remains to the FAC for analysis. After Bass and 
Meadows determined the remains were Native American and not of 
medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC as case 93-14. They 
remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the OR. To 
our knowledge the remains and funerary objects were not treated with 
any potentially hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least two individuals have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On May 23, 
1998, a fisherman found the remains on an island in Sevier County, TN, 
and alerted law enforcement. A detective from the Sevier County 
Sheriff's Office delivered the remains to the FAC later that same day. 
After Bass determined the remains were Native American and not of 
medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC as case 98-24. They 
remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the OR. To 
our knowledge the remains were not treated with any potentially 
hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least two individuals have been 
identified. The four associated funerary objects are one lot of rock, 
one lot of charcoal, and two lots of faunal remains. When and where 
these individuals were removed from is unknown, but they were 
potentially removed from an unknown site in Sevier County, TN in 1986. 
Two residents of Sevierville, TN sent the remains to the FAC, where 
they were received on September 16, 1998. After a graduate student 
examined the remains and determined they were Native American and not 
of medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC as case 98-36. 
They remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the 
OR. Some of the remains were ``repaired'' using an unknown glue, but to 
our knowledge the remains and funerary objects were not treated with 
any potentially hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least one individual have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On November 21, 
1985, caretakers for a house in Rock Island, Warren County, TN, 
contacted police after finding the remains in the garage. The origin of 
these remains is unknown; they were reportedly left behind by previous 
short-term rental tenants. A Criminal Investigator for the Warren 
County Sheriff's Office sent the remains to UTK, where they were 
received on November 26, 1985. After a doctoral student determined the 
remains were Native American and not of medicolegal concern, they were 
retained by the FAC as case 85-33. They remained at the FAC until they 
were recently transferred to the OR. To our knowledge, the remains were 
not treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
    Human remains representing, at least five individuals have been 
identified. The four associated funerary objects are one lot of 
lithics, one lot of ochre, one lot of ceramics, and one lot of faunal 
remains. In April 1998, children playing in a rock shelter in Warren 
County, TN, found some of the remains and took them to their parents. 
The parents contacted the police and a lieutenant from the Warren 
County Sheriff's Department called Bass for assistance in examining the 
remains. On April 16, Bass and two of his students met with staff from 
the Sheriff's Office, who showed them the remains the children had 
removed. Bass's group then went to the site where they identified 
extensive looting activities and removed additional remains exposed on 
the ground surface. All of the removed remains were transferred to the 
FAC for examination. Once Bass and the graduate students determined the 
remains were Native American and not of medicolegal concern, they were 
retained as case 98-19. They remained at the FAC until they were 
recently transferred to the OR. To our knowledge the remains and 
associated funerary objects were not treated with any potentially 
hazardous substances.
    Cultural affiliation between these human remains and funerary 
objects, and the Indian Tribes listed in this notice was established 
via anthropological information, archaeological information, historical 
information, geographical information, and oral tradition. Bradley, 
Cumberland, DeKalb, Grainger, Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, 
McMinn, Monroe, Morgan, Rhea, Roane, Sevier, and Warren counties are 
part of the aboriginal lands of the Cherokee and the Muscogee (Creek).

Cultural Affiliation

    Based on the information available and the results of consultation, 
cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical 
location or acquisition history of the human remains and associated 
funerary objects described in this notice.

Determinations

    UTK has determined that:
    <bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of 44 individuals of Native American ancestry.
    <bullet> The 16 lots of objects described in this notice are 
reasonably believed to have been placed intentionally with or near 
individual human remains at the time of death or later as part of the 
death rite or ceremony.
    <bullet> There is a connection between the human remains and 
associated funerary objects described in this notice and the Cherokee 
Nation; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; 
and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.

Requests for Repatriation

    Written requests for repatriation of the human remains and 
associated funerary objects in this notice must be sent to the 
authorized representative identified in this notice under 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 an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with 
cultural affiliation.
    Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects 
described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after November 
8, 2024. If competing requests for repatriation are received, UTK 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. UTK 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 10.10.


[[Page 81934]]


    Dated: September 30, 2024.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2024-23369 Filed 10-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P


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