[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 152 (Monday, August 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48177-48178]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-19993]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[2253-665]


Notice of Inventory Completion: Washington State Department of 
Natural Resources, Olympia, WA, and University of Washington, 
Department of Anthropology, Seattle, WA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the 
University of Washington, Department of Anthropology have completed an 
inventory of human remains and an associated funerary object, in 
consultation with the appropriate Indian tribes, and have determined 
that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and 
associated funerary object and present-day Indian tribes. 
Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be 
culturally affiliated with the human remains and associated funerary 
object may contact the Washington State Department of Natural 
Resources. Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary 
object to the Indian tribe named below may occur if no additional 
claimants come forward.

DATES: Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes it has a 
cultural affiliation with the human remains and associated funerary 
object should contact the Washington State Department of Natural 
Resources at the address below by September 7, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Maurice Major, Cultural Resource Specialist, Washington 
State Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 47000, 1111 Washington 
St., SE., Olympia, WA 98504-7000, telephone (360) 902-1298.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 an 
associated funerary object in the control of the Washington State 
Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, WA, and in the possession of 
the University of

[[Page 48178]]

Washington, Department of Anthropology, Seattle, WA. The human remains 
and associated funerary object were removed from Skagit County, WA.
    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.

Consultation

    A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by the 
University of Washington, Department of Anthropology and Burke Museum 
professional staff in consultation with representatives of the Lummi 
Tribe of the Lummi Reservation, Washington; Samish Indian Tribe, 
Washington; and the Swinomish Indians of the Swinomish Reservation, 
Washington (hereinafter referred to as ``The Tribes'').

History and Description of the Remains

    In 1976, human remains representing a minimum of one individual 
were removed from Huckleberry Island, Skagit County, WA. This 
individual was determined to be consistent with Native American 
morphology, based on cranial deformation and wormian bone evidence. No 
known individual was identified. The one associated funerary is a bird 
bone.
    This individual and associated funerary object were identified 
while preparing the transfer of other human remains that were described 
in published Notices of Inventory Completion (75 FR 14463, March 25, 
2010; 76 FR 9051-9052, February 16, 2011). Those individuals have been 
repatriated.
    Huckleberry Island is a small island located approximately \1/4\ 
mile southeast of Guemes Island, in Skagit County, WA. This area falls 
within the Central Coast Salish cultural group (Suttles 1990). 
Historical documentation indicates that the aboriginal Samish people 
traditionally occupied Guemes Island (Amoss 1978, Roberts 1975, Ruby 
and Brown 1986, Smith 1941, Suttles 1951, Swanton 1952) and Huckleberry 
Island (Barg 2008, unpublished report) both before and after European 
contact. The Treaty of Point Elliot, in 1855, stated that the Samish 
were to be relocated to the Lummi Reservation. Following the Treaty of 
Point Elliot, many Samish individuals relocated to either the Lummi 
Reservation or the Swinomish Reservation (Ruby and Brown 1986:179). 
Many Samish, however, also chose to remain in their old village sites. 
In 1996, the Samish Indian Tribe was re-recognized by the Federal 
Government.

Determinations Made by the Washington State Department of Natural 
Resources

    Officials of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources 
have determined that:
     Based on anthropological and biological evidence, the 
human remains and associated funerary object have been determined to be 
Native American.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
above represent the physical remains of one individual of Native 
American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the one object described 
above is 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.
     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 object and The Tribes.

Additional Requestors and Disposition

    Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes itself to 
be culturally affiliated with the human remains and associated funerary 
object should contact Maurice Major, Cultural Resource Specialist, 
Washington State Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 47000, 1111 
Washington St., SE., Olympia, WA 98504-7000, telephone (360) 902-1298, 
before September 7, 2011. Repatriation of the human remains and 
associated funerary object to the Samish Indian Tribe, Washington, may 
proceed after that date if no additional claimants come forward.
    The University of Washington's Burke Museum is responsible for 
notifying The Tribes that this notice has been published.

    Dated: August 2, 2011.
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2011-19993 Filed 8-5-11; 8:45 am]
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