[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 7, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32188-32189]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-16019]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of Defense, Army 
Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, Sacramento, CA and Phoebe A. 
Hearst Museum of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, 
Berkeley, CA

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. 3003, of the 
completion of an inventory of human remains and associated funerary 
objects in the control of the U.S. Department of Defense, Army Corps of 
Engineers, Sacramento District, Sacramento, CA, and in the physical 
custody of the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, University of 
California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA. The human remains and associated 
funerary objects were removed from Fresno County, CA.
    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 Native 
American human remains and associated funerary objects. The National 
Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.
    An assessment of the human remains, and catalog records and 
associated documents relevant to the human remains, was made by Army 
Corps of Engineers, Sacramento Division professional staff in 
consultation with representatives of the Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono 
Indians of California; Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of 
California; Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California; Picayune 
Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California; Santa Rosa Indian 
Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria, California; Table Mountain 
Rancheria of California; Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River 
Reservation, California; and Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the 
Tuolumne Rancheria of California.
    Human remains representing a minimum of one individual removed from 
site CA-Fre-27 were described in a Notice of Inventory Completion 
previously published in the Federal Register (70 FR 1267-1268, January 
6, 2005). After publication of the notice, the officials of the Army 
Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District conducted a further review of 
the evidence, and found cultural affiliation for the remaining four 
individuals that had been previously determined to be culturally 
unidentifiable.
    In 1948, human remains were removed from site CA-Fre-27, Fresno 
County, CA, by F. Fenenga and F.A. Riddell, University of California 
Archaeological Survey, and transferred to the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum 
of Anthropology that same year. No known individuals were identified. 
The three associated funerary objects are one knife/axe, one point tip, 
and one non-human bone awl.
    The human remains are determined to be Native American. Site CA-
Fre-27 is a habitation site located on the east bank

[[Page 32189]]

of the Kings River within the current impoundment boundaries of the 
Pine Flat Reservoir. Characteristics of material culture, including 
steatite beads, brownware ceramics, and historic glass trade beads, 
indicate that the site was inhabited post- A.D. 1500. The site is 
within the historic territory of the Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono 
Indians of California; Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of 
California; Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California; Picayune 
Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California; Santa Rosa Indian 
Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria, California; Table Mountain 
Rancheria of California; Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River 
Reservation, California; and Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the 
Tuolumne Rancheria of California.
    Officials of the Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District have 
determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (9-10), the human remains 
described above represent the physical remains of four individuals of 
Native American ancestry. Officials of the Army Corps of Engineers, 
Sacramento District also have determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 
3001 (3)(A), the three objects 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. Lastly, 
officials of the Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District have 
determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (2), there is a 
relationship of shared group identity that can be reasonably traced 
between the Native American human remains and associated funerary 
objects and the Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians of California; Cold 
Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of California; Northfork Rancheria of 
Mono Indians of California; Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of 
California; Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria, 
California; Table Mountain Rancheria of California; Tule River Indian 
Tribe of the Tule River Reservation, California; and Tuolumne Band of 
Me-Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria of California.
    Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes itself to 
be culturally affiliated with the human remains and associated funerary 
objects should contact Richard Perry, NAGPRA Point of Contact, USACE 
Army Corps of Engineers, 1325 J St., Sacramento, CA 95814, telephone 
(916) 557-5218, before August 6, 2009. Repatriation of the human 
remains and associated funerary objects to the Big Sandy Rancheria of 
Mono Indians of California; Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of 
California; Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California; Picayune 
Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California; Santa Rosa Indian 
Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria, California; Table Mountain 
Rancheria of California; Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River 
Reservation, California; and Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the 
Tuolumne Rancheria of California may proceed after that date if no 
additional claimants come forward.
    Officials of the Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District are 
responsible for notifying the Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians of 
California; Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of California; 
Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California; Picayune Rancheria 
of Chukchansi Indians of California; Santa Rosa Indian Community of the 
Santa Rosa Rancheria, California; Table Mountain Rancheria of 
California; Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation, 
California; and Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne 
Rancheria of California that this notice has been published.

    Dated: May 26, 2009
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. E9-16019 Filed 7-6-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-50-S