6126 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 23 / Wednesday, February 4, 2015 / Notices 

Tribes’’ that this notice has been 

published. 

Dated: January 8, 2015. 

Melanie O’Brien, 

Acting Manager, National NAGPRA Program. 

[FR Doc. 2015–02191 Filed 2–3–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–50–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA– 

17331;PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000] 

Notice of Inventory Completion: 

Beneski Museum of Natural History, 

Amherst College, Amherst, MA 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Beneski Museum of 

Natural History, Amherst College 

(formerly the Pratt Museum of Natural 

History) has completed an inventory of 

human remains, in consultation with 

the appropriate Indian tribes, and has 

determined that no cultural affiliation 

between the human remains and any 

present-day Indian tribes or Native 

Hawaiian organizations can be 

established on the basis of the 

documentation available. 

Representatives of any Indian tribe or 

Native Hawaiian organization not 

identified in this notice that wish to 

request transfer of control of these 

human remains should submit a written 

request to the Beneski Museum of 

Natural History, Amherst College. If no 

additional requestors come forward, 

transfer of control of the human remains 

to the Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian 

organizations stated in this notice may 

proceed. 

DATES: Representatives of any Indian 

tribe or Native Hawaiian organization 

not identified in this notice that wish to 

request transfer of control of these 

human remains should submit a written 

request with information in support of 

the request to the Beneski Museum of 

Natural History, Amherst College at the 

address in this notice by March 6, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Tekla A. Harms, NAGPRA 

Coordinator, Beneski Museum of 

Natural History, Amherst College, 

Amherst, MA 01002, telephone (413) 

542–2233, email taharms@amherst.edu. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 under the control of 

the Beneski Museum of Natural History, 

Amherst College. The human remains 

were removed from Tennessee. 

This notice is published as part of the 

National Park Service’s administrative 

responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25 

U.S.C. 3003(d)(3) and 43 CFR 10.11(d). 

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. The National Park Service is 

not responsible for the determinations 

in this notice. 

Consultation 

A detailed assessment of the human 

remains was made by the NAGPRA 

Coordinator and museum staff of the 

Beneski Museum of Natural History, 

Amherst College, and their agents, in 

consultation with representatives of the 

Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of 

Oklahoma; Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of 

Texas (previously listed as the AlabamaCoushatta Tribes of Texas); AlabamaQuassarte Tribal Town; Cherokee 

Nation; Eastern Band of Cherokee 

Indians; Poarch Band of Creeks 

(previously listed as the Poarch Band of 

Creek Indians of Alabama); Seminole 

Tribe of Florida (previously listed as the 

Seminole Tribe of Florida (Dania, Big 

Cypress, Brighton, Hollywood & Tampa 

Reservations)); Shawnee Tribe; The 

Chickasaw Nation; The Choctaw Nation 

of Oklahoma; The Muscogee (Creek) 

Nation; The Quapaw Tribe of Indians; 

The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; 

Thlopthlocco Tribal Town; and the 

United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee 

Indians in Oklahoma. Representatives of 

the Beneski Museum also contacted, but 

were not able to consult with, the 

Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, 

Kialegee Tribal Town, and the TunicaBiloxi Indian Tribe. 

History and Description of the Remains 

At an unknown date, human remains 

representing, at minimum, one 

individual were removed from 

Tennessee. The remains consist of one 

cranium that is without the lower jaw, 

without part of the upper jaw, and 

missing many teeth. The cranium 

appears to have been modified during 

growth. It is markedly flattened in the 

forehead, and flattened and indented on 

the back of the cranium, opposite the 

forehead, so that the forehead and back 

of the cranium slope toward the top of 

the cranium. The sides of the cranium 

bulge out slightly, so that the face looks 

widened, especially in the cheekbones. 

Minor repairs in plaster or putty were 

made to the cranium at some time. 

The Beneski Museum of Natural 

History, Amherst College has no 

collection or provenience information 

for these remains. The only existing 

information derives from inked lettering 

on the cranium, which says: ‘‘Indian S. 

Tennessee Adult [male gender symbol] 

CW.’’ The cranium also bears the 

numbers GT 2045 and A–32, neither of 

which corresponds to any cataloging 

system in use at any time in the history 

of the Beneski Museum. No known 

individuals have been identified. No 

associated funerary objects are present. 

Determinations Made by the Beneski 

Museum of Natural History, Amherst 

College 

Officials of the Beneski Museum of 

Natural History, Amherst College have 

determined that: 

• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the 

human remains described in this notice 

are Native American based on the 

physical evidence from the cranium. 

• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the 

human remains described in this notice 

represent the physical remains of one 

individual of Native American ancestry. 

• 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 

any present-day Indian tribe. 

• According to final judgments of the 

Indian Claims Commission, the land 

from which the Native American human 

remains were removed is the aboriginal 

land of the Eastern Band of Cherokee 

Indians. 

• Treaties, Acts of Congress, or 

Executive Orders, including Indian 

Land Cessions in the period 1784–1894 

for the State of Tennessee, indicate that 

the land from which the Native 

American human remains were 

removed is the aboriginal land of the 

Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of 

Cherokee Indians; The Chickasaw 

Nation; and the United Keetoowah Band 

of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. 

• Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1), the 

disposition of the human remains may 

be the Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of 

Cherokee Indians; The Chickasaw 

Nation; and the United Keetoowah Band 

of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. 

Additional Requestors and Disposition 

Representatives of any Indian tribe or 

Native Hawaiian organization not 

identified in this notice that wish to 

request transfer of control of these 

human remains should submit a written 

request with information in support of 

the request to Tekla A. Harms, NAGPRA 

Coordinator, Beneski Museum of 

Natural History, Amherst College, 

Amherst, MA 01002, telephone (413) 

542–2233, email taharms@amherst.edu, 

by March 6, 2015. After that date, if no 

additional requestors have come 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 23 / Wednesday, February 4, 2015 / Notices 6127 

forward, transfer of control of the 

human remains to the Cherokee Nation; 

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; The 

Chickasaw Nation; the United 

Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in 

Oklahoma; and the Quapaw Tribe of 

Indians (when joined to the request of 

one or more of the foregoing Indian 

tribes) may proceed. 

The Beneski Museum of Natural 

History, Amherst College is responsible 

for notifying the Cherokee Nation; 

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; The 

Chickasaw Nation; and the United 

Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in 

Oklahoma that this notice has been 

published. 

Dated: December 16, 2014. 

Melanie O’Brien, 

Acting Program Manager, National NAGPRA 

Program. 

[FR Doc. 2015–02214 Filed 2–3–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–50–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–17480; 

PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000] 

Notice of Inventory Completion: 

Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville, 

TN 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley 

Authority (TVA) has completed an 

inventory of human remains in 

consultation with the appropriate 

federally recognized Indian tribes and 

has determined that there is no cultural 

affiliation between the human remains 

and any present-day federally 

recognized Indian tribes. 

Representatives of any federally 

recognized Indian tribe not identified in 

this notice that wish to request transfer 

of control of these human remains 

should submit a written request to TVA. 

If no additional requestors come 

forward, transfer of control of the 

human remains to the federally 

recognized Indian tribes stated in this 

notice may proceed. 

DATES: Representatives of any federally 

recognized Indian tribe not identified in 

this notice that wish to request transfer 

of control of these human remains 

should submit a written request with 

information in support of the request to 

TVA at the address in this notice by 

March 6, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Dr. Thomas O. Maher, TVA, 

400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT11D, 

Knoxville, TN 37902–1401, telephone 

(865) 632–7458, email tomaher@tva.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 under the control and 

possession of TVA. The human remains 

were likely removed from the Cox site, 

40AN19, in Anderson County, TN, by 

amateur archeologists digging at the site. 

The human remains were anonymously 

delivered to TVA in the 1990’s. 

This notice is published as part of the 

National Park Service’s administrative 

responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25 

U.S.C. 3003(d)(3) and 43 CFR 10.11(d). 

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. The National Park Service is 

not responsible for the determinations 

in this notice. 

Consultation 

A detailed assessment of the human 

remains was made by TVA’s 

professional staff in consultation with 

representatives of the Absentee 

Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma; AlabamaCoushatta Tribe of Texas (previously 

listed as the Alabama-Coushatta Tribes 

of Texas); Alabama-Quassarte Tribal 

Town; Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of 

Cherokee Indians; Eastern Shawnee 

Tribe of Oklahoma; Kialegee Tribal 

Town; Poarch Band of Creeks 

(previously listed as the Poarch Band of 

Creek Indians of Alabama); Shawnee 

Tribe; The Chickasaw Nation; The 

Muscogee (Creek) Nation; The Seminole 

Nation of Oklahoma; Thlopthlocco 

Tribal Town; and the United Keetoowah 

Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. 

History and Description of the Remains 

TVA has in its control and possession 

human remains representing, at 

minimum, 2 individuals, identified as 

one adult and one sub-adult. The sex of 

both is indeterminate. Composed 

primarily of cranial bones, oral history 

indicates that the human remains were 

sent to TVA after November 16, 1990, 

but excavated before the passage of 

NAGPRA. The human remains were 

anonymously delivered to TVA in the 

1990s. These human remains were the 

likely result of amateur digging that took 

place at the Cox site in 1961. Their 

context within the site and 

chronological placement is unknown. 

The Cox mound site was first 

excavated by William S. Webb using 

labor provided by the Civil Works 

Administration in anticipation of the 

construction of the Norris Reservoir. 

Additional excavations by Charles 

McNutt and the University of Tennessee 

took place in 1960 in anticipation of the 

construction of the Melton Hill 

reservoir. In 1960 and 1961, members of 

the Knoxville chapter of the Tennessee 

Archaeological Society also dug at this 

site. Records from the 1961 excavations, 

which were carried out by amateurs, are 

incomplete and the funerary objects 

were not curated. 

Excavations at 40AN19 revealed two 

dominate occupations: A Mississippian 

Dallas phase occupation (A.D. 1300– 

1550) and an earlier Woodland 

occupation. Since no funerary objects 

accompanied these human remains, it is 

not known if they were derived from the 

Dallas phase or the Woodland 

occupation. The lack of any detailed 

information on these human remains 

leads TVA to designate them as 

culturally unidentifiable. 

Determinations Made by the Tennessee 

Valley Authority 

Officials of TVA have determined 

that: 

• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the 

human remains described in this notice 

are Native American based on their 

presence in prehistoric archeological 

contexts. 

• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the 

human remains described in this notice 

represent the physical remains of 2 

individuals of Native American 

ancestry. 

• 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 

any present-day Indian tribe. 

• According to final judgments of the 

Indian Claims Commission or the Court 

of Federal Claims, the land from which 

the Native American human remains 

were removed is the aboriginal land of 

the Cherokee Nation, Eastern Band of 

Cherokee Indians, and the United 

Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in 

Oklahoma. 

• Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1)(ii), 

TVA has decided to transfer control of 

the culturally unidentifiable human 

remains to the Cherokee Nation, Eastern 

Band of Cherokee Indians, and the 

United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee 

Indians in Oklahoma. 

Additional Requestors and Disposition 

Representatives of any federally 

recognized Indian tribe not identified in 

this notice that wish to request transfer 

of control of these human remains 

should submit a written request with 

information in support of the request to 

Dr. Thomas O. Maher, TVA, 400 West 

Summit Hill Drive, WT11D, Knoxville, 

TN 37902–1401, telephone (865) 632– 

7458, email tomaher@tva.gov, March 6, 

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