Federal Register / Vol. 58, No. 87 / Friday, May 7, 1993 / Notices 27309
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Notice of Completion of Inventory of Native American Human Remains and
Associated Funerary Objects from Washington County, Rhode Island, in the
Possession of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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Notice is hereby given in accordance with provisions of the Native
American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 U.S.C. 3003(d), of
the completion of an inventory of human remains and associated funerary
objects in the possession of the Peabody Museum from one site in
Washington County, Rhode Island. Representatives of culturally
affiliated Indian tribes are advised that these human remains and
associated funerary objects will be retained by the Peabody Museum until
June 7, 1993 after which they may be repatriated to lineal descendant or
the culturally affiliated group.
The detailed inventory and assessment of human remains and associated
funerary objects from this one Washington County site has been made by
the Collections Managers and Curatorial Associates at the Peabody Museum
in consultation with representatives of the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode
Island.
The collection was retrieved from two graves on the Ninigret Burial
Hill, also called the Indian Burial Hill in Charlestown, Rhode Island.
Between 1857 and 1861 persons unknown dug up the northernmost grave, and
around 1863 Usher Parsons, M.D., dug into the adjacent grave. Some
human remains and associated funerary objects resulting from these
activities eventually found their way into the collections of Brown
University, and from there in 1923 to the Peabody Museum, Harvard, when
Brown deccessed its collections.
From the first grave came an adult female human cranium (PM 23-
6-10/60374/471), a silver chain in two pieces, 2 fragments of brass
soles and one leather sole, fragments of kettle bales, the remnant of a
knife, 2 circle pins, one oval shaped metal ring, a fragment of glass, a
hollow glass stem containing liquid, a silver or pewter vessel with
handles and a link chain, and a corroded brass container (PM
23-6-10/94193-94200). From the second grave came an adult male human
femur (PM 23-6- 10/60375). There are no associated funerary objects with
the femur.
The artefacts at the Peabody and other artefacts reported by Usher
Parsons give a date for the northernmost burial as around 1660. This
evidence when taken in conjunction with the name of the burial plot,
historical and other local information reported by Usher and others is
strong evidence that the individuals represented are Ninigret I, Sachem
of the Iliantics, and an unmarried daughter.
In the years since the burials were made, the Niantics have merged with
the Narragansett. There are believed to be descendants of Ninigret
resident in the area today.
This notice has been sent to officials of the Narragansett tribe.
Representatives of any other Indian group which believes itself to be
descended from the individuals described above should get in touch with
David Pilbeam, Peabody Museum, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138,
telephone: (617) 495-2248
Dated: April 21, 1993
Francis P. McManamon
Departmental Consulting Archeologist
Chief, Archeological Assistance Division
[FR Doc 93-10848 Filed 5-6-93; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-M
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