Federal Register / Vol. 59 No. 211 / Wednesday, November 2, 1994
/ Notices Page 54921 & 54922
Notice of Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains
from Blossvale, NY, in the Possession of the Rome Historical
Society, Rome NY.
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior
ACTION: Notice.
_________________________________________________________________
Notice is hereby given in accordance with provisions of the
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 U.S.C.
3003(d), of completion of the inventory of human remains from a
site near Blossvale, NY, that are presently in the possession of
the Rome Historical Society, Rome NY.
A detailed inventory and assessment of these human remains has
been made by Historical Society curatorial staff, a contracted
specialist in physical anthropology, and representatives of the
Oneida Indian Nation (of New York) and the Oneida Tribe of
Indians of Wisconsin.
In 1958, Mr. Willard Teelin discovered the human remains along
with some associated funerary objects following a flash flood in
Fish Creek near Blossvale, NY. The director of the Fort Stanwix
Museum, operated by the Rome Historical Society, identified the
human remains and associated funerary objects as belonging to the
Owasco culture. Mr. Teelin donated the human remains to the Rome
Historical Society and retained possession of the associated
funerary objects. Mr. Teelin's descendants are not aware of the
whereabouts of the associated funerary objects. Osteological
examination by Dr. Richard G. Wilkinson, Department of
Anthropology, State University of New York-Albany, revealed that
two individuals are represented by the human remains. The first
individual was approximately 35-40 years old at the time of
death. The second individual was approximately 16-20 years old
at the time of death. Both are Native American males from the
prehistoric period.
Inventory of the human remains and review of the accompanying
documentation indicates that no known individuals were
identifiable. The Owasco culture is generally recognized in the
archeological literature as being ancestral to the five
historically known Indian tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy:
Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. The Blossvale, NY,
area in which the human remains were discovered is well within
the historical boundaries of lands claimed as Oneida territory.
The Oneida Indian Nation (of New York) considers itself to be the
descendant of Native Americans who occupied central New York
since time immemorial. Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin has
declined to submit a claim for repatriation of these human
remains.
Based on the above mentioned information, officials of the Rome
Historical Society 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 human remains and
associated funerary objects and the Oneida Indian Nation (of New
York).
This notice has been sent to officials of the Oneida Indian
Nation (of New York) and the Oneida Tribe of Indians of
Wisconsin. Representatives of any other Indian tribe which believes itself to be culturally affiliated with these human
remains should contact Jon Austin, Executive Director, Rome
Historical Society, 200 Church Street, Rome NY 13440, telephone:
(315) 336-5870, before December 2, 1994. Repatriation of these
human remains to the Oneida Indian Nation (of New York) may begin
after that date if no additional claimants come forward.
Dated: October 11, 1994
Francis P. MacManamon, Ph.D.
Departmental Consulting Archeologist,
Chief, Archeological Assistance Division
[FR Doc. 94-27079; Filed 11-1-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-F
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