[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 185 (Friday, September 24, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58425-58426]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23933]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Intent to Repatriate Cultural Items: American Museum of 
Natural History, New York, NY

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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    Notice is here given in accordance with the Native American Graves 
Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 3005, of the intent 
to repatriate cultural items in the possession of the American Museum 
of Natural History, New York, NY, that meets the definition of 
unassociated funerary objects under 25 U.S.C. 3001.
    This notice is published as part of the National Park Service's 
administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25 U.S.C. 3003(d)(3). The 
determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of the 
museum, institution, or Federal agency that has control of the cultural 
items. The National Park Service is not responsible for the 
determinations in this notice.
    In 1902, human remains representing a minimum of one individual 
were collected by Dr. Ales Hrdlicka from a cave in the vicinity of 
Sacaton, Pinal County, AZ, while Dr. Hrdlicka was a member of the Hyde 
Expedition, sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History. No
    known individual was identified. This individual has been 
identified as Native American based on the American Museum of Natural 
History's catalog entry describing the remains as a ``Pima ... medicine 
man.'' The two associated funerary objects were a pair of metal spurs.
    In 2006, the human remains and the metal spurs were repatriated to 
the Gila River Indian Community. Subsequently, the American Museum of 
Natural History discovered among its collections additional funerary 
objects associated with this repatriated individual, but not previously 
reported. Therefore, these additional funerary objects are now 
considered to be unassociated. The 32 unassociated funerary objects are 
elements of 1 percussion musket (a barrel and trigger and a percussion 
lock); 1 leather bullet pouch and its contents (12 metal ball bullets, 
3 spent percussion caps, 1 shell casing, 3 glass marbles, 1 piece of 
cloth and 1 lot of paper scraps); 1 metal flask; 1 teacup; 1 saucer; 1 
pressed metal spoon; 2 blue glass beads; 2 claws and 1 piece of sewn 
rawhide.
    The metal flask is painted green and has a knotted cloth plug. The 
tea cup and saucer are white glazed ceramic. The two beads are made of 
blue glass. The two claws are from a jaguar. The rawhide piece is sewn 
with a rawhide thong.
    The geographic location is consistent with the post-contact 
territory of the Pima, who are represented by the Ak Chin Indian 
Community of the Maricopa (Ak Chin) Indian Reservation, Arizona; the 
Gila River Indian Community of the Gila River Indian Reservation, 
Arizona; and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt 
River Reservation, Arizona. The presence of items such as metal spurs, 
a rifle and white ceramic teacup suggest a post-contact date for this 
burial.
    Officials of the American Museum of Natural History have determined 
that,

[[Page 58426]]

pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(B), the 32 cultural items described 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 and are believed, by a preponderance of the evidence, to 
have been removed from a specific burial site of a Native American 
individual. Officials of the American Museum of Natural History have 
determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there is a shared group 
identity that can be traced between the unassociated funerary objects 
and the Ak Chin Indian Community of the Maricopa (Ak Chin) Indian 
Reservation, Arizona; Gila River Indian Community of the Gila River 
Indian Reservation, Arizona; and Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian 
Community of the Salt River Reservation, Arizona.
    Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes itself to 
be culturally affiliated with the unassociated funerary objects should 
contact Nell Murphy, Director of Cultural Resources, American Museum of 
Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St., New York, NY 10024, 
telephone (212) 769-5837, before October 25, 2010. Repatriation of the 
unassociated funerary objects to the Ak Chin Indian Community of the 
Maricopa (Ak Chin) Indian Reservation, Arizona; Gila River Indian 
Community of the Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona; and Salt River 
Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River Reservation, Arizona, 
may proceed after that date if no additional claimants come forward.
    The American Museum of Natural History is responsible for notifying 
the Ak Chin Indian Community of the Maricopa (Ak Chin) Indian 
Reservation, Arizona; Gila River Indian Community of the Gila River 
Indian Reservation, Arizona; and Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian 
Community of the Salt River Reservation, Arizona, that this notice has 
been published.

    Dated: September 10, 2010
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2010-23933 Filed 9-23-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-50-S