2018-27642. Notice of Inventory Completion: The State Center Community College District-Fresno City College, Fresno, CA

AGENCY:

National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The State Center Community College District—Fresno City College has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects, in consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations, and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and present-day Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice that wish to request transfer of control of these human remains and associated funerary objects should submit a written request to the State Center Community College District—Fresno City College. If no additional requestors come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and associated funerary objects to the lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations stated in this notice may proceed.

DATES:

Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice that wish to request transfer of control of these human remains and associated funerary objects should submit a written request with information in support of the request to the State Center Community College District—Fresno City College at the address in this notice by January 22, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

Mary Beth Miller, Interim Dean of Social Sciences, in care of Jill Minar, Ph.D., Fresno City College of The State Center Community College District, 1101 E University Avenue, Fresno, CA 93741, telephone [phone], email [e-mail].

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 associated funerary objects under the control of the State Center Community College District—Fresno City College, Fresno, CA. The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from the Sihugatic site, Madera County, CA.

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 State Center Community College District—Fresno City College professional staff in consultation with representatives of the Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians of California (previously listed as the Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians of California); Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California; Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of California; Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California; Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California; Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California; Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria, California; Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Shingle Springs Rancheria (Verona Tract), California; Table Mountain Rancheria (previously listed as the Table Mountain Rancheria of California) Tejon Indian Tribe; Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation, California; and the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria of California.

An invitation to consult was extended to the California Valley Miwok Tribe, California; Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California; Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes of the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, Nevada and Oregon; Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California; Jackson Band of Miwuk Indians (previously listed as the Jackson Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California); Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of the Pyramid Lake Reservation, Nevada; Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Nevada; Walker River Paiute Tribe of the Walker River Reservation, Nevada; and the Yerington Paiute Tribe of the Yerington Colony & Campbell Ranch, Nevada. For a variety of reasons, they did not engage in consultation.

Two non-federally recognized groups, the Dunlap Band of Mono Indians and Traditional Choinumni Tribe, participated in consultation. One non-federally recognized group, the Wukchumni Tribe, was invited to consult, but did not respond.

Hereafter, all the Indian tribes and non-federally recognized Indian groups listed in this section are referred to as “The Consulted and Notified Tribes and Groups.”

History and Description of the Remains

In 1974 and 1975, human remains representing, at minimum, three individuals were removed from the Sihugatic site, which is located on private property along Whiskey Creek, between the town of South Fork and Redinger Lake in Madera County, CA. Fresno City College Anthropology instructor Don Wren led a field class that excavated the site. In January 2017, funded by a 2016 NAGPRA Consultation/Documentation grant awarded to the State Center Community College District, an osteological examination of the faunal collections was conducted to determine if human remains were present. That examination resulted in the identification of the human remains described in this notice. The human remains belong to one adult and two sub-adults of indeterminate sex. These individuals are represented by 317 bone and tooth fragments, and six teeth. No known individuals were identified. The nine associated funerary objects are three steatite beads, one lot bone bead fragments, one lot shell bead fragments, one glass bead, and three steatite fragments.

Determinations Made by the State Center Community College District—Fresno City College

Officials of the State Center Community College District—Fresno City College have determined that:

• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of three individuals of Native American ancestry based on archeological context.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the nine objects described in this notice 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.
• 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 Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California, based on geographic information and oral tradition.

Additional Requestors and Disposition

Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice that wish to request transfer of control of these human remains and associated funerary objects should submit a written request with information in support of the request to Mary Beth Miller, Interim Dean of Social Sciences, in care of Jill Minar, Ph.D., Fresno City College of The State Center Community College District, 1101 E University Avenue, Fresno, CA 93741, telephone [phone], email [e-mail], by January 22, 2019. After that date, if no additional requestors have come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and associated funerary objects to the Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California may proceed.

The State Center Community College District—Fresno City College is responsible for notifying The Consulted and Notified Tribes and Groups that this notice has been published.

Dated: November 28, 2018.

Melanie O'Brien,

Manager, National NAGPRA Program.