[Federal Register: March 14, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 50)]
[Notices]
[Page 12374-12375]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14mr03-69]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of Justice,
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Resident Agency, Rapid City, SD
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, Sec. 5, of
the completion of an inventory of human remains in the possession of
the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Resident Agency, Rapid City, SD. These human remains were removed from
Crystal Cave Park, Pennington County, SD.
This notice is published as part of the National Park Service's
administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25 U.S.C. 3003, Sec. 5
(d)(3). The determinations within this notice are the sole
responsibility of the museum, institution, or Federal agency that has
control of these Native American human remains. The National Park
Service is not responsible for the determinations within this notice.
A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, Resident Agency, Rapid City and Smithsonian
Institution professional staff in consultation with a representative of
the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation, South
Dakota, representing the interests of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of
the Cheyenne River Reservation, South Dakota; Flandreau Santee Sioux
Tribe of South Dakota; Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge
Reservation, South Dakota; Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian
Reservation, South Dakota; Santee Sioux Tribe of the Santee Reservation
of Nebraska; and Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.
According to the owners of Crystal Cave Park, a tourist attraction
near Rapid City, SD, at an unknown date human remains representing a
minimum of two individuals were removed from Crystal Cave, on the
premises of Crystal Cave Park, Pennington County, SD, by prior owners
of the facility. In 1997, these human remains were seized from a
display case at Crystal Cave Park in connection with an investigation
by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Resident Agency, Rapid City.
The human remains consist of the the nearly complete cranium of an
adult and the left parietal of a child. No known individuals were
identified. No funerary objects were present at the time of seizure.
Following seizure, the two sets of human remains were forwarded to
the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, for
analysis. Analysis indicated that the adult human remains are Native
American. Preservation and appearance of the cranium are consistent
with a Historic period burial. These human remains probably came from
an exposed context, such as a 19th-century above-ground burial. The
presence of copper artifact staining further supports this conclusion
in that such staining is a common occurrence in Historic period
burials. At some time, it appears likely that the human remains were
removed from a burial site and placed inside Crystal Cave. The adult
human remains show features specifically characteristic of the Sioux.
Based upon cranial measurements and morphological comparisons and
consultation with the representative of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
of the Cheyenne River Reservation, the tribal affiliation of the adult
individual is most likely Sioux, with the closest affinity being the
Teton division. Teton is the Lakota group of the Sioux found throughout
South Dakota.
Analysis indicated that the child human remains, recovered with the
skull from Crystal Cave Park, was the left parietal of a child aged
approximately 6 months to 1 year. The condition of the parietal
suggested a Historic period context. The sex of the child was
indeterminate and the Smithsonian Institution could not make a
statement on tribal affiliation. Based on the association of the two
sets of human remains, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Resident
Agency, Rapid City considers the human remains of the child to belong
to the Teton division of the Sioux.
Officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Resident Agency,
Rapid City have determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001, Sec. 2 (9-
10), the human remains listed above represent the physical remains of
two individuals of Native American ancestry. Officials of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, Resident Agency, Rapid City also have
determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001, Sec. 2 (2), there is a
relationship of shared group identity that can reasonably be traced
between these Native American human remains and the Cheyenne River
Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation, South Dakota; Flandreau
Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota; Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine
Ridge Reservation, South Dakota; Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud
Indian Reservation, South Dakota; Santee Sioux Tribe of the Santee
Reservation of Nebraska; and Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.
Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes itself to
be culturally affiliated with these human remains should contact
Assistant United States Attorney Gregg S. Peterman, U.S. Department of
Justice, 515 Ninth Street, Room 201, Rapid City, SD 57701, telephone
(605) 342-7822, before April 14, 2003. Repatriation of the human
remains to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River
Reservation may proceed after that date if no additional claimants come
forward.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Resident Agency, Rapid City is
responsible for notifying the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the
Cheyenne River Reservation, South Dakota; Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe
of South Dakota; Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation,
South Dakota; Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation,
South Dakota; Santee Sioux Tribe of the Santee Reservation of
[[Page 12375]]
Nebraska; and Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota that this notice has
been published.
Dated: January 29, 2003.
John Robbins,
Assistant Director, Cultural Resources Stewardship and Partnerships.
[FR Doc. 03-6216 Filed 3-13-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-S