2021-07698. Notice of Inventory Completion: Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson, MS

AGENCY:

National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has completed an inventory of human remains, 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 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 should submit a written request to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. If no additional requestors come forward, transfer of control of the human remains 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 should submit a written request with information in support of the request to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History at the address in this notice by May 17, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

Meg Cook, Director of Archaeology Collections, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Museum Division, 222 North Street, P.O. Box 571, Jackson, MS 39205, 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 under the control of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson, MS. The human remains were removed from the Delta region of Mississippi along the Mississippi River, and from Northeast Mississippi in the Tombigbee Hills region, including DeSoto, Lee, and Tunica counties.

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. The National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.

Consultation

A detailed assessment of human remains was made by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History professional staff in consultation with representatives from the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas [previously listed as Alabama-Coushatta Tribes of Texas]; Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town; Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; Miami Tribe of Oklahoma; Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; Quapaw Nation [previously listed as The Quapaw Tribe of Indians]; The Chickasaw Nation; The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; and The Osage Nation [previously listed as Osage Tribe] (hereafter referred to as “The Tribes”).

History and Description of the Remains

At an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, four individuals were removed from the following sites in DeSoto County, MS, and subsequently transferred from the CH Nash Museum at Chucalissa: “22DE526 or 527” and “From box 22DS501, 22DS513, 22DS512.” No known individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are present.

At an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, nine individuals were removed from the following sites in Lee County, MS: 22Le3, Thompson Place (22Le6), Martin Place (22Le7), 22Le10, 22Le11, 22Le13, 22Le18, 22Le21, and Meadowbrook (22LE912). No known individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are present.

At an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, three individuals were removed from the following sites in Tunica County, MS, and subsequently transferred from the CH Nash Museum at Chucalissa: Commerce (22TU504) and West/Hood Mounds (22TU520). No known individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are present.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has determined that the remains of each of these individuals are Native American through the circumstances of acquisition, as well as through the observance of biological markers consistent with this ancestry. The circumstances of acquisition, including other material culture from these collections, show that these human remains are affiliated with indigenous people in these areas of Mississippi. Individuals from DeSoto and Tunica counties are representative of the Woodland and Mississippian periods. Individuals from Lee County are representative of Proto-Historic period sites. Present day Indian Tribes affiliated with these cultures include The Tribes.

Determinations Made by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Officials of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History have determined that:

• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of 16 individuals of Native American ancestry.
• 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 The Tribes.

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 should submit a written request with information in support of the request to Meg Cook, Director of Archaeology Collections, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Museum Division, 222 North Street, P.O. Box 571, Jackson, MS 39205, telephone [phone], email [e-mail], by May 17, 2021. After that date, if no additional requestors have come forward, transfer of control of the human remains to The Tribes may proceed.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History is responsible for notifying The Tribes that this notice has been published.

Dated: April 6, 2021.

Melanie O'Brien,

Manager, National NAGPRA Program.