2014-27463. Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee: Meeting

AGENCY:

National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, (5 U.S.C. Appendix 1-16), of a meeting of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee (Review Committee). The Review Committee will meet on March 3-4, 2015. All meetings will be open to the public.

DATES:

The Review Committee will meet on March 3-4, 2015. Public comment requests and accompanying materials must be received by February 2, 2015, and requests for culturally unidentifiable (CUI) disposition must be received by January 16, 2015. Requests for findings of fact must be received by January 5, 2015. Requests to convene parties and facilitate the resolution of a dispute must be received by January 5, 2015.

ADDRESSES:

The Review Committee will meet in the Murray D. Lincoln Campus Center, 1 Campus Center Way, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, on March 3-4, 2015. Electronic submissions are to be sent to [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Notice is hereby given in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, (5 U.S.C. Appendix 1-16), of a meeting of the Review Committee. The Review Committee was established in Section 8 of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 3006.

The Review Committee will meet on March 3-4, 2015, in the Murray D. Lincoln Campus Center, 1 Campus Center Way, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EASTERN). This meeting will be open to the public. The agenda for this meeting will include the discussion of the Review Committee Report to Congress for 2015; discussion of dispute procedures; and, if published, comments upon proposed regulations to revise 43 CFR Part 10. In addition, the agenda may include requests to the Review Committee for a recommendation to the Secretary of the Interior, as required by law, in order to effect the agreed-upon disposition of Native American human remains determined to be culturally unidentifiable; public comment by Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, museums, Federal agencies, and the public; requests to the Review Committee, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3006 (c)(3), for review and findings of fact related to the identity or cultural affiliation of human remains or other cultural items, or the return of such items; and facilitation of the resolution of disputes among parties convened by the Review Committee pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3006 (c)(4). Presentation to the Review Committee by telephone may be requested but is not guaranteed. The agenda and materials for this meeting will be posted on or before February 17, 2015, at http://www.nps.gov/​nagpra.

The Review Committee is soliciting public comment by Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, museums, and Federal agencies on the following two topics: (1) The progress made, and any barriers encountered, in implementing NAGPRA and (2) the outcomes of disputes reviewed by the Review Committee pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3006 (c)(4). The Review Committee also will consider other public comment by Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, museums, Federal agencies, and the public. A public comment request must, at minimum, include an abstract of the presentation and contact information for the presenter(s). Public comment requests and presentation materials must be received by February 2, 2015.

The Review Committee will consider requests for a recommendation to the Secretary of the Interior, as required by law, in order to effect the agreed-upon disposition of Native American human remains determined to be CUI. A CUI disposition request must include the appropriate, completed form posted on the National NAGPRA Program Web site and, as applicable, the ancillary materials noted on the form. To access and download the appropriate form—either the form for CUI with a “tribal land” or “aboriginal land” provenience or the form for CUI without a “tribal land” or “aboriginal land” provenience—go to http://www.nps.gov/​nagpra,, and then click on “Request for CUI Disposition Forms.” CUI disposition requests must be received by January 16, 2015.

The Review Committee will consider requests, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3006 (c)(3), for review and findings of fact related to the identity or cultural affiliation of human remains or other cultural items, or the return of such items, where consensus among affected parties is unclear or uncertain. A request for findings of fact must be accompanied by a statement of the fact(s) at issue and supporting materials, including those exchanged by the parties to consultation concerning the Native American human remains and/or other cultural items. To access procedures for presenting findings of fact, go to http://www.nps.gov/​nagpra/​REVIEW/​Procedures.htm. Requests for findings of fact must be received by January 5, 2015.

The Review Committee will consider requests, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3006 (c)(4), to convene parties and facilitate the resolution of a dispute, where consensus clearly has not been reached among affected parties regarding the identity or cultural affiliation of human remains or other cultural items, or the return of such items. A request to convene parties and facilitate the resolution of a dispute must be accompanied by a statement of the decision of the museum or Federal agency subject to the dispute resolution request, a statement of the issue and the materials exchanged by the parties concerning the Native American human remains and/or other cultural items. To access procedures for presenting disputes, go to http://www.nps.gov/​nagpra/​REVIEW/​Procedures.htm. Requests to convene parties and facilitate resolution of a dispute must be received by January 5, 2015.

Electronic submissions should be sent to [e-mail]. Such items are subject to posting on the National NAGPRA Program Web site prior to the meeting.

General Information

Information about NAGPRA, the Review Committee, and Review Committee meetings is available on the National NAGPRA Program Web site at http://www.nps.gov/​nagpra. For the Review Committee's meeting procedures, click on “Review Committee,” then click on “Procedures.” Meeting minutes may be accessed by going to the Web site, then clicking on “Review Committee,” and then clicking on “Meeting Minutes.” Approximately fourteen weeks after each Review Committee meeting, the meeting transcript is posted on the National NAGPRA Program Web site.

Review Committee members are appointed by the Secretary of the Interior. The Review Committee is responsible for monitoring the NAGPRA inventory and identification process; reviewing and making findings related to the identity or cultural affiliation of cultural items, or the return of such items; facilitating the resolution of disputes; compiling an inventory of culturally unidentifiable human remains that are in the possession or control of each Federal agency and museum, and recommending specific actions for developing a process for disposition of such human remains; consulting with Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations and museums on matters affecting such tribes or organizations lying within the scope of work of the Review Committee; consulting with the Secretary of the Interior on the development of regulations to carry out NAGPRA; and making recommendations regarding future care of repatriated cultural items. The Review Committee's work is carried out during the course of meetings that are open to the public.

Before including your address, telephone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Dated: November 14, 2014.

Alma Ripps,

Chief, Office of Policy.