[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]
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