Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 218 / Tuesday, November 12, 2024 / Notices 89031 

Peabody Museum, Yale University 

intends to repatriate certain cultural 

items that meet the definition of 

unassociated funerary objects and that 

have a cultural affiliation with the 

Indian Tribes in this notice. 

DATES: Repatriation of the cultural items 

in this notice may occur on or after 

December 12, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Professor David Skelly, 

Director, Yale Peabody Museum, P.O. 

Box 208118, New Haven, CT 06520– 

8118, telephone (203) 432–3752, email 

david.skelly@yale.edu. 

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 Yale Peabody 

Museum, and additional information on 

the determinations in this notice, 

including the results of consultation, 

can be found in the summary or related 

records. The National Park Service is 

not responsible for the determinations 

in this notice. 

Abstract of Information Available 

A total of eight cultural items have 

been requested for repatriation. Circa 

1915, the eight cultural items were 

removed from various burial contexts by 

Warren K. Moorehead, who is known to 

have conducted an extensive 

archaeological survey of Maine between 

1912 and 1920. The cultural items were 

transferred to George Thompson before 

they were donated to the Yale Peabody 

Museum in 1926. 

The two unassociated funerary objects 

are one spearhead and one plummet 

removed from Emerson Cemetery in 

Hancock County, ME. 

The one unassociated funerary object 

is one spearhead removed from 

Hartford’s Cemetery in Hancock County, 

ME. 

The one unassociated funerary object 

is one lot of red ochre removed from 

Sullivan Falls Cemetery in Hancock 

County, ME. 

The three unassociated funerary 

objects are three gouges removed from 

Stevens Cemetery in Knox County, ME. 

The one unassociated funerary object 

is one gouge removed from Hathaway’s 

Cemetery in Penobscot County, ME. 

Determinations 

The Yale Peabody Museum has 

determined that: 

• The eight unassociated funerary 

objects described in this notice are 

reasonably believed to have been placed 

intentionally with or near human 

remains, and are connected, either at the 

time of death or later as part of the death 

rite or ceremony of a Native American 

culture according to the Native 

American traditional knowledge of a 

lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or 

Native Hawaiian organization. The 

unassociated funerary objects have been 

identified by a preponderance of the 

evidence as related to human remains, 

specific individuals, or families, or 

removed from a specific burial site or 

burial area of an individual or 

individuals with cultural affiliation to 

an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian 

organization. 

• There is a reasonable connection 

between the cultural items described in 

this notice and the Houlton Band of 

Maliseet Indians; Mi’kmaq Nation 

(previously listed as Aroostook Band of 

Micmacs); Passamaquoddy Tribe; and 

the Penobscot Nation. 

Requests for Repatriation 

Additional, written requests for 

repatriation of the cultural items in this 

notice must be sent to the authorized 

representative identified in this notice 

under ADDRESSES. Requests for 

repatriation may be submitted by 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 cultural items in 

this notice to a requestor may occur on 

or after December 12, 2024. If competing 

requests for repatriation are received, 

the Yale Peabody Museum must 

determine the most appropriate 

requestor prior to repatriation. Requests 

for joint repatriation of the cultural 

items are considered a single request 

and not competing requests. The Yale 

Peabody Museum is responsible for 

sending a copy of this notice to the 

Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian 

organizations identified in this notice 

and to any other consulting parties. 

Authority: Native American Graves 

Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 

U.S.C. 3004 and the implementing 

regulations, 43 CFR 10.9. 

Dated: October 29, 2024. 

Melanie O’Brien, 

Manager, National NAGPRA Program. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26090 Filed 11–8–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–52–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–NPS0039001; 

PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000] 

Notice of Intended Repatriation: 

Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native 

American Graves Protection and 

Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Wesleyan 

University intends to repatriate certain 

cultural items that meet the definition of 

unassociated funerary objects and that 

have a cultural affiliation with the 

Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian 

organizations in this notice. 

DATES: Repatriation of the cultural items 

in this notice may occur on or after 

December 12, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Wendi Field Murray, 

Wesleyan University (Archaeology & 

Anthropology Collections), 265 Church 

Street, Middletown, CT 06033, 

telephone (860) 685–2085, email 

wmurray01@wesleyan.edu. 

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 Wesleyan 

University and additional information 

on the determinations in this notice, 

including the results of consultation, 

can be found in the summary or related 

records. The National Park Service is 

not responsible for the determinations 

in this notice. 

Abstract of Information Available 

A total of 257 cultural items have 

been requested for repatriation. The 257 

unassociated funerary objects are shell 

ornaments and beads, stone mortars/ 

vessels, bone tools, digging stick 

weights, a spherical stone object, a stone 

pendant, bifacial manos, stone pestles, 

stone weight/sinker, glass beads, cut 

shell with ochre, asphaltum skirt 

weights, shell fishhooks, a bird bone 

whistle, a stone plummet, stone knives, 

black chia seeds, and red ochre. 

Dos Pueblos, CA 

Sixty-four objects, including shell 

beads and ornaments and one stone 

pestle, were taken by Paul Schumacher 

from Dos Pueblos, CA in Santa Barbara 

County during the 1870s. They were all 

transferred from the Smithsonian 

Institution to Wesleyan’s natural history 

museum in 1878. 


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89032 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 218 / Tuesday, November 12, 2024 / Notices 

Santa Barbara County, CA 

One hundred-twenty objects 

originated in Santa Barbara County, CA. 

They include a stone vessel, a bone tool, 

asphaltum skirt weights, shell beads, a 

shell ornament, and an abalone fishhook 

blank taken by Paul Schumacher in the 

1870s; a stone vessel, a digging stick 

weight, a stone sphere, bifacial manos, 

shell beads and ornaments, a stone 

plummet, and stone knives taken by 

Stephen Bowers in the 1870s; and black 

chia seeds ‘‘from an Indian grave’’ taken 

by Lt. George Montague Wheeler 

sometime prior to 1878. They were all 

transferred from the Smithsonian 

Institution to Wesleyan’s natural history 

museum in 1878. 

There are two additional objects from 

Santa Barbara County (a stone pestle 

and a stone tube pipe) taken by 

Schumacher and originally included in 

1878 transfer paperwork (as well as a 

1971 collections inventory) but were 

discovered to be missing by Wesleyan 

collections staff in 1999. It has not yet 

been found, but for future reference this 

object has the same provenance and 

cultural affiliation as the Schumacherrelated objects listed above. 

Santa Cruz Island, CA 

Forty-one objects originated in Santa 

Cruz Island, CA. They include a stone 

pestle, and shell beads and ornaments 

taken by Paul Schumacher in the 1870s; 

and shell beads and ornaments, a shell 

fishhook, a bone tool, and a bird bone 

whistle taken by Stephen Bowers in the 

1870s. Two of the shell ornaments are 

not definitively attributed to an 

individual collector in museum catalog 

records but are listed as being taken by 

‘‘Stephen Bowers OR Paul 

Schumacher.’’ They were all transferred 

from the Smithsonian Institution to 

Wesleyan’s natural history museum in 

1878. 

Santa Rosa Island, CA 

Fifteen objects originated in Santa 

Rosa Island, CA. They include bone 

tools/implements, stone pestles, and 

shell beads and ornaments taken by 

Stephen Bowers in the 1870s. One of the 

objects (a string of beads) is not 

definitively attributed to an individual 

collector in museum catalog records but 

are listed as being taken by ‘‘Stephen 

Bowers OR Paul Schumacher.’’ They 

were all transferred from the 

Smithsonian Institution to Wesleyan’s 

natural history museum in 1878. 

There is one additional object from 

Santa Rosa Island (glass beads attributed 

to ‘‘Indian graves’’ in museum catalog 

records) taken by Bowers and originally 

included in 1878 transfer paperwork (as 

well as a 1971 collections inventory) but 

was discovered to be missing by 

Wesleyan collections staff in 1999. It 

has not yet been found, but for future 

reference this object has the same 

provenance and cultural affiliation as 

the Bowers-related objects listed above. 

‘‘San Rosa,’’ CA 

Two objects attributed to ‘‘San Rosa, 

CA’’ in Wesleyan’s ethnology records 

include a polished stone plummet and 

stone weight/sinker. They were taken by 

John Waterman sometime prior to 1899, 

when Wesleyan acquired them. Based 

on Wesleyan’s focus on collections from 

the Channel Islands during the late 19th 

century, as well as the museum’s 

cataloging conventions for abbreviating 

‘‘Santa Rosa Island’’ in our records to 

‘‘San Rosa,’’ these objects are also 

presumably from Santa Rosa Island, and 

are consistent with the types of objects 

likely to be included in Chumash 

burials. 

Santa Ynez, CA 

Three objects originating in Santa 

Ynez, CA include bone tools and strung 

shell ornaments, were taken by Stephen 

Bowers in the 1870s. They were all 

transferred from the Smithsonian 

Institution to Wesleyan’s natural history 

museum in 1878. 

San Luis Obispo, CA 

Two objects originating in San Luis 

Obispo, CA include two strings of shell 

beads taken by Dr. Hayes in the 1870s 

and transferred to Wesleyan via a 

transfer from the Smithsonian 

Institution in 1878. 

Unknown CA, Likely Channel Islands 

Three jars of red ochre are likely 

attributed to the Channel Islands and 

the collecting activities of Stephen 

Bowers in the 1870s. They are believed 

to have been transferred from the 

Smithsonian Institution to Wesleyan’s 

natural history museum in 1878. 

Unknown, California 

Three objects, including glass beads 

and shell beads and ornaments, are from 

an unknown location in California, but 

are listed in museum records as being 

likely connected to the collecting 

activities of Stephen Bowers and/or 

Paul Schumacher in the 1870s. They 

were all likely transferred from the 

Smithsonian Institution to Wesleyan’s 

natural history museum in 1878. 

There is one additional object from 

California (a stone projectile point) 

taken by Bowers and originally included 

in 1878 transfer paperwork (as well as 

a 1971 collections inventory) but was 

discovered to be missing by Wesleyan 

collections staff in 1999. It has not yet 

been found, but for future reference this 

object has the same provenance and 

cultural affiliation as the Bowers-related 

objects listed above. 

Both Stephen Bowers’ and Paul 

Shumacher’s collecting was prolific in 

the Channel Islands and other parts of 

California during the 1870s—both 

worked for the Smithsonian and were 

known to excavate Chumash burials. 

The looting of Native American burials 

figures prominently in the 

documentation of their work via reports 

and personal journals, making it likely 

that the items are from funerary 

contexts. They were initially delivered 

to the Smithsonian Institution, and in 

1878, they were included in a large 

(Smithsonian) transfer of cultural 

objects originating in the Channel 

Islands and other parts of California to 

Wesleyan University’s natural history 

museum. 

For those objects from the 

Smithsonian attributed to Dr. Hayes and 

Lt. GM Wheeler, the nature of the 

objects, the known the timing of their 

taking, and their association with 

Wesleyan’s bulk acquisition of CA 

funerary objects from the Smithsonian 

during the late 19th century make it 

likely that they are also unassociated 

funerary objects. Nothing is known 

about Jonathan Waterman, though the 

nature of the items suggests that they are 

likely funerary objects. 

No cultural affiliation information 

was included in the records of the 

taking or the transfer, though their 

geographical origin and the welldocumented cultural, historical, 

geographical, and linguistic connections 

between the claimants and the 

geographical areas in from which these 

were taken indicates a cultural 

affiliation with the Santa Ynez Band of 

Chumash Indians. 

The presence of potentially hazardous 

substances (i.e., pesticide residues) on 

these particular objects is unknown. In 

2021, Wesleyan University discovered 

the presence of pesticide residue 

(arsenic) on one organic object from 

Samoa that was transferred from the 

Smithsonian in the 19th century, as well 

as several taxidermy specimens. This 

suggests the possibility that other 

objects in the collection may be 

contaminated (particularly those 

transferred from the Smithsonian, as the 

requested objects are). While pesticides 

were not typically applied to nonorganic objects due to their inherent 

resilience to pest damage, the objects 

have potentially been intermingling 

with organic objects in a large 

ethnographic teaching collection since 

the 1870s, and possibly with natural 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 218 / Tuesday, November 12, 2024 / Notices 89033 

history specimens as well. To what 

extent Wesleyan staff attempted to 

mitigate cross-contamination when 

objects were stored or handled is 

unknown. 

There is one documented instance of 

pest fumigation relating to the 

collections that dates to 1972–1973. 

This was to treat a silverfish infestation 

in underground storage rooms that held 

the museum’s objects after it closed. The 

proposal was for the application of 

dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) 

to the floors, the placement of open 

containers of paradichlorobenzene 

(PDB) around the room, and the 

placement of a mildew-retarding 

insecticide inside the wraps of 

specimens. The specific contents of the 

room in which the chemicals were 

applied, and to what extent they were 

shielded from them, is unknown. 

Determinations 

Wesleyan University has determined 

that: 

• The 257 unassociated funerary 

objects described in this notice are 

reasonably believed to have been placed 

intentionally with or near human 

remains, and are connected, either at the 

time of death or later as part of the death 

rite or ceremony of a Native American 

culture according to the Native 

American traditional knowledge of a 

lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or 

Native Hawaiian organization. The 

unassociated funerary objects have been 

identified by a preponderance of the 

evidence as related to human remains, 

specific individuals, or families, or 

removed from a specific burial site or 

burial area of an individual or 

individuals with cultural affiliation to 

an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian 

organization. 

• There is a reasonable connection 

between the cultural items described in 

this notice and the Santa Ynez Band of 

Chumash Mission Indians of the Santa 

Ynez Reservation, California. 

Requests for Repatriation 

Additional, written requests for 

repatriation of the cultural items in this 

notice must be sent to the authorized 

representative identified in this notice 

under ADDRESSES. Requests for 

repatriation may be submitted by 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 cultural items in 

this notice to a requestor may occur on 

or after December 12, 2024. If competing 

requests for repatriation are received, 

Wesleyan University must determine 

the most appropriate requestor prior to 

repatriation. Requests for joint 

repatriation of the cultural items are 

considered a single request and not 

competing requests. Wesleyan 

University is responsible for sending a 

copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes 

and Native Hawaiian organizations 

identified in this notice and to any other 

consulting parties. 

Authority: Native American Graves 

Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 

U.S.C. 3004 and the implementing 

regulations, 43 CFR 10.9. 

Dated: October 29, 2024. 

Melanie O’Brien, 

Manager, National NAGPRA Program. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26083 Filed 11–8–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–52–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–NPS0038989; 

PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000] 

Notice of Inventory Completion: The 

San Diego Archaeological Center, San 

Diego, CA 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native 

American Graves Protection and 

Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the San 

Diego Archaeological Center has 

completed an inventory of associated 

funerary objects and has determined 

that there is a cultural affiliation 

between the associated funerary objects 

and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian 

organizations in this notice. 

DATES: Repatriation of the associated 

funerary objects in this notice may 

occur on or after December 12, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Stephanie Sandoval, 

Executive Director, The San Diego 

Archaeological Center, 16666 San 

Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA 

92027, telephone (760) 291–0370, email 

sjsandoval@sandiegoarchaeology.org. 

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 San Diego 

Archaeological Center, and additional 

information on the determinations in 

this notice, including the results of 

consultation, can be found in the 

inventory or related records. The 

National Park Service is not responsible 

for the determinations in this notice. 

Abstract of Information Available 

Based on the information available, 

human remains representing at least one 

individual has been reasonably 

identified and a Notice of Inventory 

Completion was published in the 

Federal Register on October 7, 2008 (73 

FR 58628). The 49 additional associated 

funerary objects related to these human 

remains are ceramic effigy, figurines, 

and pipe fragments; faunal bone bird 

talon; ground stone figurine fragment; 

crystals; ochre and hematite fragments. 

The site was excavated in 1989 by CRM 

firm ERC Environmental and Energy 

Services Co. as part of a cultural 

assessment program before development 

of the property. Artifacts were found 

and excavated in compliance with 

mitigation as required pursuant to the 

California Environmental Quality Act 

(CEQA). The site was described in the 

report as a village. The report does not 

reference an individual Native 

American monitor who served the 

project but refers to the assistance of 

Luisen ̃ o representatives from the Rincon 

reservation in the completion of the 

project. During the project, researchers 

met with three Rincon elders for an 

interview concerning several artifacts. 

The site report states that the site falls 

within the traditional Luisen ̃ o territory. 

Cultural Affiliation 

Based on the information available, 

cultural affiliation is reasonably 

identified by the geographical location 

or acquisition history of the associated 

funerary objects described in this notice. 

Determinations 

The San Diego Archaeological Center 

has determined that: 

• The 49 associated funerary 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. 

• There is a reasonable connection 

between the associated funerary objects 

described in this notice and the La Jolla 

Band of Luiseno Indians; Pala Band of 

Mission Indians; Pauma Band of 

Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pauma 

& Yuima Reservation, California; 

Pechanga Band of Indians (previously 

listed as Pechanga Band of Luiseno 

Mission Indians of the Pechanga 

Reservation, California); Rincon Band of 

Luiseno Mission Indians of the Rincon 

Reservation, California; Soboba Band of 

Luiseno Indians, California; and the 

Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission 

Indians of California. 


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