2021-18271. 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 September 24, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

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 Coastal Pine Meadow region of Mississippi, in Hancock County, MS.

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; Jena Band of Choctaw 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

On June 11, 2020, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual was removed from Hancock County, MS. The individual was discovered during maintenance dredging of the navigation channel at the mouth of Bayou Cadet, which flows into the Bay of Saint Louis. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversaw the dredging, retained control of the human remains until May of 2021, when it transferred them to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. No known individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are present.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has determined that the remains of this individual are Native American through the geographical and archeological circumstances of their discovery, as well as through the observance of biological markers that are consistent with Native American ancestry. According to the geographical and archeological evidence, the individual was removed within 500 feet of the Lakeshore Midden Site (22HA502), which dates within the Woodland Period (A.D. 1000). Evaluation of the skeletal elements by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's office concluded that they bore biological markers consistent with Native American ancestry. The present-day Indian Tribes affiliated with the earlier group connected to these human remains 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 one individual 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 September 24, 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: August 11, 2021.

Melanie O'Brien,

Manager, National NAGPRA Program.