[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 84 (Tuesday, April 30, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 19087]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-10613]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Notice of Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains 
and Associated Funerary Objects in the Control of the Wyoming State 
Office, Bureau of Land Management, Cheyenne, WY

AGENCY: National Park Service

ACTION: Notice

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    Notice is hereby given in accordance with provisions of the Native 
American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 
3003 (d), of the completion of an inventory of human remains and 
associated funerary objects in the control of the Wyoming State Office, 
Bureau of Land Management, Cheyenne, WY.
    A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by Bureau of 
Land Management professional staff in consultation with representatives 
of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River 
Indian Reservation, WY; the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, ID; the Uintah and 
Ouray Tribes of the Uintah & Ouray Agency, UT; the Northern Cheyenne 
Tribe, MT; and the Crow Tribe, MT.
    In 1983, human remains representing one individual were illegally 
removed from federal lands by two oil field workers and were recovered 
during a Federal criminal investigation and returned to the control of 
the Bureau of Land Management. The 502 associated funerary objects 
include a saddle, leather horse tack, German silver bridle ornaments, 
.45/70 rifle cartridges, a .22 caliber revolver, a metal knife, one 
pair beaded moccasins, brass U.S. military General Service buttons, 
silver conchas, a silver bracelet, a silver belt buckle, a choker of 
blue glass beads and elk teeth, vials of glass beads, and fragments of 
fabric and leather. No known individual was identified.
    In 1985, this individual was reinterred by the Bureau of Land 
Management in consultation with Eastern Shoshone traditional religious 
practitioners. During recent inventory of the associated funerary 
objects, additional human remains including two braids of human hair 
wrapped in cloth were discovered from this same individual. Based on 
the associated funerary objects and the condition of the remains, the 
burial is estimated to date to the late 1870s--early 1880s. The 
``checker-diagonal'' beaded design on the moccasins is most commonly 
used among the Eastern Shoshone or the Blackfeet. Further, osteological 
analysis of the human remains, the burial location, manner of 
interment, and associated funerary objects all indicate this individual 
was likely Eastern Shoshone.
    Based on the above mentioned information, officials of the Bureau 
of Land Management have determined that, pursuant to 43 CFR 10.2 
(d)(1), the human remains listed above represent the physical remains 
of one individual of Native American ancestry. Officials of the Bureau 
of Land Management have also determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 
3001 (3)(A), the 502 objects listed 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. Lastly, officials 
of the Bureau of Land Management have determined that, pursuant to 25 
U.S.C. 3001 (2), there is a relationship of shared group identity which 
can be reasonably traced between these Native American human remains 
and associated funerary objects and the Eastern Shoshone Tribe of the 
Wind River Indian Reservation, WY.
    This notice has been sent to officials of the Eastern Shoshone and 
Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Indian Reservation, WY; the 
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, ID; the Uintah and Ouray Tribes of the Uintah 
& Ouray Agency, UT; the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, MT; and the Crow 
Tribe, MT. Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes 
itself to be culturally affiliated with these human remains and 
associated funerary objects should contact Al Pierson, State Director, 
or Tim Nowak, Native American Coordinator, Bureau of Land Management, 
Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, WY 82009; 
telephone: (307) 775-6035, before May 30, 1996. Repatriation of the 
human remains and associated funerary objects to the Eastern Shoshone 
Tribe of the Wind River Indian Reservation may begin after that date if 
no additional claimants come forward.
Dated: April 24, 1996
Francis P. McManamon
Departmental Consulting Archeologist
Chief, Archeology & Ethnography Program
[FR Doc. 96-10613 Filed 4-29-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-F