2023-28190. Notice of Inventory Completion Amendment: Western Washington University, Department of Anthropology, Bellingham, WA

AGENCY:

National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice; amendment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Western Washington University (WWU) has amended a Notice of Inventory Completion published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2022. This notice amends the minimum number of individuals in a collection removed from Skagit County, WA.

DATES:

Repatriation of the human remains in this notice may occur on or after January 22, 2024.

ADDRESSES:

Dr. Judith Pine, Western Washington University, Department of Anthropology, Arntzen Hall 340, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225, telephone [phone], email [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This notice is published as part of the National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA. The determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of WWU. The National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice. Additional information on the amendments and determinations in this notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in the inventory or related records held by WWU.

Amendment

This notice amends the determinations published in a Notice of Inventory Completion in the Federal Register (87 FR 24196, April 22, 2022). Repatriation of the items in the original Notice of Inventory Completion has not occurred. In 2023, elements that were originally described as “unidentified” were reviewed by an osteologist. As a result of this review, the minimum number of individuals has increased from three to four individuals.

From Site 45–SK–37 in Skagit County, WA, four individuals were removed (previously identified as three individuals).

Determinations (as Amended)

Pursuant to NAGPRA and its implementing regulations, and after consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations, WWU has determined that:

• The human remains described in this amended notice represent the physical remains of four individuals of Native American ancestry.
• There is a relationship of shared group identity that can be reasonably traced between the human remains described in this notice and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.

Requests for Repatriation

Written requests for repatriation of the human remains in this notice must be sent to the Responsible Official identified in ADDRESSES . Requests for repatriation may be submitted by:

1. Any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice.

2. Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice who shows, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the requestor is a lineal descendant or a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.

Repatriation of the human remains in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after January 22, 2024. If competing requests for repatriation are received, WWU must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human remains are considered a single request and not competing requests. WWU is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice.

Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.9, 10.10, 10.13, and 10.14.

Dated: December 13, 2023.

Melanie O'Brien,

Manager, National NAGPRA Program.