Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Denver Museum of Anthropology, Denver, CO

AGENCY:

National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The University of Denver Museum of Anthropology 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 University of Denver Museum of Anthropology. 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 University of Denver Museum of Anthropology at the address in this notice by March 26, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

Anne Amati, University of Denver Museum of Anthropology, 2000 E Asbury Avenue, Sturm Hall 146, Denver, CO 80208, telephone (303) 871-2687, email anne.amati@du.edu.

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 University of Denver Museum of Anthropology, Denver, CO. The human remains were removed from the Buick Camp Site, Elbert County, CO.

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 the human remains was made by the University of Denver Museum of Anthropology professional staff in consultation with representatives of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma.

The Apache Tribe of Oklahoma; Arapaho Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming; Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Oklahoma [previously listed as Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma]; Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation, South Dakota; Comanche Nation, Oklahoma; Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of the Crow Creek Reservation, South Dakota; Crow Tribe of Montana; Eastern Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming [previously listed as Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming]; Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma; Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Jicarilla Apache Nation, New Mexico; Kewa Pueblo, New Mexico [previously listed as Pueblo of Santo Domingo]; Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma; Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Reservation, New Mexico; Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico, & Utah; Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana; Oglala Sioux Tribe [previously listed as Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota]; Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico [previously listed as Pueblo of San Juan]; Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota; Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North & South Dakota; Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota; Ute Mountain Ute Tribe [previously listed as Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute Mountain Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico, & Utah]; and the Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico were invited to consult but did not participate (hereafter, the non-participating Indian Tribes are referred to as “The Invited Tribes”).

History and Description of the Remains

In the 1950s, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed from the Buick Camp Site in Elbert County, CO, by Dr. Arnold M. Withers of the University of Denver. In January of 2020, the human remains were discovered in faunal collections at the University of Denver Museum of Anthropology. The human remains are a shovel shaped incisor with a groove between the enamel and the tooth root. No known individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are present.

Museum records indicate that the Buick Camp Site represents a High Plains Upper Republican occupation. Radiocarbon analysis dates the Buick Camp Site to 664-770 A.D., which corresponds to the Plains Woodland Period. Archeologists identify the Upper Republican culture as ancestral Pawnee. Elbert County is within the cultural landscape of the Pawnee Nation. Based on archeological and historical evidence, the Buick Camp Site was situated in an area where bison were harvested at least bi-annually.

Determinations Made by the University of Denver Museum of Anthropology

Officials of the University of Denver Museum of Anthropology 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 Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma.

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 Anne Amati, University of Denver Museum of Anthropology, 2000 E Asbury Avenue, Sturm Hall 146, Denver, CO 80208, telephone (303) 871-2687, email anne.amati@du.edu, by March 26, 2021. After that date, if no additional requestors have come forward, transfer of control of the human remains to the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma may proceed.

The University of Denver Museum of Anthropology is responsible for notifying the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and The Invited Tribes that this notice has been published.