[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 188 (Wednesday, September 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52523-52524]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25369]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Notice of Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains
in the Possession of the South Dakota State Archaeological Research
Center, Rapid City, SD
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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Notice is hereby given in accordance with provisions of the Native
American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 43 CFR 10.9,
of the completion of an inventory of human remains in the possession of
the South Dakota State Archaeological Research Center, Rapid City, SD.
A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by South Dakota
State Archaeological Research Center professional staff in consultation
with representatives of the Few Tails family, the Oglala Sioux Tribe of
the Pine Ridge Reservation, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the
Cheyenne River Reservation, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud
Indian Reservation.
Between 1891 and 1932, human remains representing one individual
were removed from an unknown location by person(s) unknown. In 1932,
the Deadwood Pioneer-Times reported that John T. Milek, a lawyer and
publisher from Sturgis, SD had donated these human remains to the Adams
Memorial Hall Museum, Deadwood, SD. In that article, these human
remains were identified as Few Tails, an Oglala Lakota man slain by
Anglo horse thieves near the Belle Fourche River in Meade County, SD in
1891. No associated funerary objects are present.
In 1994, these human remains were transferred from the Adams
Memorial Hall Museum to the South Dakota State Archaeological Research
Center for NAGPRA inventory and repatriation. Based on osteological
analysis, these remains have been identified as Native American man
between the ages of 40-49, most likely of Oglala descent. Trauma
present on the skull and mandible are consistent with a violent death.
Oral tradition of the Few Tails family and historical records indicate
that the wife of Few Tails, who was present at the incident, survived
and returned to Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Oral
tradition also states the family was unable to retrieve the body of Few
Tails following the incident. The human remains in the possession of
the South Dakota State Archaeological Society show no evidence of
inhumation. No evidence contradicts the identification of these human
remains as Few Trails.
Sophia Few Tails Lone Hill, great- or great-great-granddaughter of
Few Tails, on behalf of herself and her brothers Leonard Few Tails and
Louis Few Tails, and her daughter, Donette Lone Hill, has claimed Few
Tails' remains as a lineal descendant.
Based on the above mentioned information, officials of the South
Dakota State Archaeological Research Center have determined that,
pursuant to 43 CFR 10.2(d)(1), the human remains listed above represent
the physical remains of one individual of Native American ancestry.
Officials of the South Dakota State Archaeological Research Center have
also determined that, pursuant to 43 CFR 10.2(b)(1), Ms. Sophia Few
Tails Lone Hill can trace her ancestry directly and without
interruption by means of the traditional kinship system of the Oglala
Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation to Few Tails.
This notice has been sent to Ms. Sophia Few Tails Lone Hill, and
officials of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation, the
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation, and the
Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Any other person
who believes they are a lineal descendant of Few Tails should contact
Renee Boen, Curator, State Archaeological Center, South Dakota
Historical Society, PO Box
[[Page 52524]]
1257, Rapid City, SD 57709-1257; telephone; (605) 394-1936, before
October 29, 1999. Repatriation of the human remains to Sophia Few Tails
Lone Hill, on behalf of herself and her brothers Loneard Few Tails and
Louis Few Tails, and her daughter, Donette Lone Hill may begin after
that date if no additional claimants come forward.
Dated: September 24, 1999.
Francis P. McManamon,
Departmental Consulting Archeologist, Manager, Archeology and
Ethnography Program.
[FR Doc. 99-25369 Filed 9-28-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-M
