[Federal Register: March 6, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 45)]
[Notices]
[Page 12207-12209]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06mr08-96]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Notice of Intent to Repatriate Cultural Items: University of
Colorado Museum, Boulder, CO
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 University of
Colorado Museum, Boulder, CO, 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
[[Page 12208]]
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.
Between 1954 and 1990, human remains were removed from three sites
near Yellow Jacket Pueblo (5MT1, 5MT2, and 5MT3), Montezuma County, CO,
during legally conducted excavations from private land by Dr. Joe Ben
Wheat and students participating in University of Colorado Museum
sponsored archeological field schools. The excavated items were
physically transferred to the museum at the end of each field season.
The human remains and associated funerary objects were described in a
Notice of Inventory Completion published in the Federal Register of
Monday, September 11, 2006 (FR Doc E6-14933, pages 53470-53473). The
human remains and associated funerary objects were repatriated. After
repatriation, 13 cultural items were found in collection storage. The
13 cultural items are 2 ceramic vessels and 11 lots of sherds. The 11
lots of sherds share catalog numbers with reconstructed vessels
previously repatriated.
Previously identified unassociated funerary objects from the Yellow
Jacket Pueblo were also described in a Notice of Intent to Repatriate
published in the Federal Register of Thursday, March 15, 2007 (FR Doc
E7-4733, pages 12192-12193). The cultural items from the notice of
March 15, 2007, have been repatriated. An additional 28 cultural items
from the Yellow Jacket Pueblo site were found during a collections
management project that culminated in January 2008.
Three cultural items found in collections are reasonably believed
to have been removed from the Yellow Jacket Pueblo site (5MT5),
Montezuma County, CO, by Horace (Hod) Benjamin Stevenson. Mr. Stevenson
donated the cultural items to the University of Colorado Museum in May
1954. The three cultural items are two ceramic vessels and one awl.
The remaining 25 cultural items found in collections are reasonably
believed to have been removed from the Yellow Jacket Pueblo site
(5MT5), Montezuma County, CO by Gervis W. Hoofnagle, on an unknown
date, prior to 1959 and most likely in the 1930s. The University of
Colorado Museum purchased some cultural items from Mr. Hoofnagle's
widow in 1961 and she donated additional cultural items to the museum
in 1971. The 25 cultural items are 19 ceramic vessels some of which
have black-on-white designs; 1 shell pendant; 1 axe, 1 lot of bone
tubes; and 3 lots of bone tools.
The three habitation sites (5MT1, 5MT2, and 5MT3), identified on
the National Register of Historic Places as the Joe Ben Wheat Site
Complex, are at the head of Yellow Jacket Canyon to the west of Tatum
Draw and southwest of the very large archeological site, Yellow Jacket
Pueblo (5MT5). The Yellow Jacket burials were predominantly single
interments, appearing in a wide variety of locations, including
abandoned rooms and kivas, storage pits, subfloor burial pits,
extramural burial pits, and middens. The habitation sites were occupied
at various times during the Basketmaker III, Pueblo II, and Pueblo III
periods, approximately A.D. 550-1250, with a temporary abandonment
during the Pueblo I period, approximately A.D. 750-900. Based on the
general continuity in the material culture and the architecture of
these sites, it appears that the community that lived in this area had
long-standing ties to the region and returned to sites even after
migrations away from the locale that lasted more than one hundred
years. However, by the late 13th century, both the Yellow Jacket sites
and the nearby Mesa Verde region showed no evidence of human
habitation. The sites are not used again until the 1920s when the
locale was homesteaded and farmed. The archeological evidence supports
identification with Basketmaker and later Pueblo (Hisatsinom, Ancestral
Puebloan, or Anasazi) cultures, which prehistorically occupied
southwestern Colorado. Both Basketmaker and Pueblo occupations are
represented in the archeology at the Yellow Jacket site. Archeologists
have noted in the scientific literature the striking similarity between
the technology and style of material culture of 13th century
archeological sites in southwestern Colorado and the material culture
remains of 14th century Puebloan sites in Arizona and New Mexico. Oral-
tradition evidence, which consists of migration stories, clan
histories, and origin stories, was provided by representatives of the
Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah; Ohkay
Owingeh, New Mexico (formerly the Pueblo of San Juan); Pueblo of Acoma,
New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico;
Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of
Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo of
Santa Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of
Taos, New Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; Pueblo of Ysleta del
Sur, New Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; and Zuni Tribe of the Zuni
Reservation, New Mexico. Folkloric evidence in the form of songs was
provided by tribal representatives of the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico;
Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of
Nambe, New Mexico; and Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico. Tribal
representatives of the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe,
New Mexico; Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; and Pueblo of Taos,
New Mexico provided linguistic evidence rooted in place names. Pueblo
of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San
Ildefonso, New Mexico; and Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico provided
archeological evidence based on architecture and material culture of
their shared relationship. Archeological, historical and linguistic
evidence presently points to Navajo migration to the Yellow Jacket and
Monument Ruin area after A.D. 1300. During consultation, the Navajo
Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah emphasized their long presence in
the Four Corners and their origin in this area, but there is not a
preponderance of the evidence to support Navajo cultural affiliation.
Based on a preponderance of evidence, including oral tradition,
folklore, linguistic, geographic, archeology, historical, and
scientific studies, cultural affiliation can be traced between the
cultural items and modern Puebloan peoples. Modern Puebloan peoples are
members of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico
(formerly the Pueblo of San Juan); Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo
of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez,
New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico;
Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo
of San Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo
of Sandia, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa
Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santo Domingo, New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos,
New Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico;
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of Texas; and Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation,
New Mexico.
Officials of the University of Colorado Museum have determined
that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (3)(B), the 41 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
[[Page 12209]]
the death rite or ceremony. Officials of the University of Colorado
Museum also have determined that, 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 objects and the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Ohkay Owingeh, New
Mexico (formerly the Pueblo of San Juan); Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico;
Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of
Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New
Mexico; Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico;
Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico;
Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo
of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santo Domingo, New Mexico; Pueblo
of Taos, New Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New
Mexico; Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of Texas; and Zuni Tribe of the Zuni
Reservation, New Mexico.
Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes itself to
be culturally affiliated with the unassociated funerary objects should
contact Steve Lekson, Curator of Anthropology, University of Colorado
Museum, Henderson Building, Campus Box 218, Boulder, CO 80309-0218,
telephone (303) 492-6671, before April 7, 2008. Repatriation of the
unassociated funerary objects to the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Ohkay
Owingeh, New Mexico (formerly the Pueblo of San Juan); Pueblo of Acoma,
New Mexico; Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New
Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico;
Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of
Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San
Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa
Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santo
Domingo, New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New
Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of Texas; and
Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico may proceed after that
date if no additional claimants come forward.
University of Colorado Museum is responsible for notifying the Hopi
Tribe of Arizona; Navajo Nation Arizona, New Mexico & Utah; Ohkay
Owingeh, New Mexico (formerly the Pueblo of San Juan); Pueblo of Acoma,
New Mexico; Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New
Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico;
Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of
Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San
Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa
Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santo
Domingo, New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New
Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the
Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute
Mountain Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico & Utah, Ysleta del Sur
Pueblo of Texas; and Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico
that this notice has been published.
Dated: February 7, 2008.
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. E8-4327 Filed 3-5-08; 8:45 am]
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