Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Anthropology, Madison, WI

AGENCY:

National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Anthropology has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects, in consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations, and has determined that there is no cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and any present-day Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. 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 and associated funerary objects should submit a written request to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Anthropology. If no additional requestors come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and associated funerary objects to the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations stated in this notice may proceed.

DATES:

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 and associated funerary objects should submit a written request with information in support of the request to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Anthropology at the address in this notice by June 21, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

Sissel Schroeder, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Anthropology, 1180 Observatory Drive, 5240 Social Sciences Building, Madison, WI 53706, telephone (608) 262-0317, email sschroeder2@wisc.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 and associated funerary objects under the control of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Anthropology, Madison, WI. The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from the Nekoosa Mound Group, Wood County, WI.

This notice is published as part of the National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25 U.S.C. 3003(d)(3) and 43 CFR 10.11(d). 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 and associated funerary objects. 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 Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Anthropology professional staff in consultation with representatives of the Forest County Potawatomi Community, Wisconsin; Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin; Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin; Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation of Wisconsin; Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin; Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Wisconsin; and the Stockbridge Munsee Community, Wisconsin. The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska were invited to consult but did not participate. Hereafter, the above listed Indian Tribes are referred to as “The Consulted and Invited Tribes.”

History and Description of the Remains

In 1965, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed from Mound 4 of the Nekoosa Mound Group (47WO14) in Wood County, WI. The fragmentary remains belong to an adult of unknown sex. No known individual was identified. The 18 associated funerary objects are 16 soil samples, one processed flotation sample, and one small shell disc.

The Nekoosa Mound Group lies on a bluff above the west bank of the Wisconsin River and almost directly opposite the mouth of Seven Mile Creek. The site was originally comprised of one linear, six oval, and four conical mounds, and one bear effigy mound. In August of 1965, William Hurley, then a UW-Madison graduate student in the Department of Anthropology, excavated the bear effigy mound and Mound 4 (the largest extant conical mound) as part of a program to examine and analyze ancient soil surfaces buried beneath effigy mounds. In Mound 4, Hurley encountered a cremation in a sub-mound pit containing the above listed human remains.

Determinations Made by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Anthropology

Officials of the Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Anthropology have determined that:

• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described in this notice are Native American based on an examination by a physical anthropologist and the recovery from a known archeological site with recorded documentation of Woodland occupations.
• 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(3)(A), the 18 objects described in this notice are reasonably believed to have been placed with or near individual human remains at the time of death or later as part of the death rite or ceremony.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), a relationship of shared group identity cannot be reasonably traced between the Native American human remains and any present-day Indian Tribe.
• According to final judgments of the Indian Claims Commission or the Court of Federal Claims, the land from which the Native American human remains were removed is the aboriginal land of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation, Wisconsin; Bay Mills Indian Community, Michigan; Chippewa Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana [previously listed as Chippewa-Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana]; Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Michigan; Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin; Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Michigan; Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin; Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation of Wisconsin; Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Michigan; Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin; Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota (Six component reservations: Bois Forte Band (Nett Lake); Fond du Lac Band; Grand Portage Band; Leech Lake Band; Mille Lacs Band; White Earth Band); Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma. Dakota; Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin; Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Minnesota; Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan; Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Michigan; Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Wisconsin; St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin; Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota; and the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska (hereafter referred to as “The Tribes”).
• Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1), the disposition of the human remains may be to The Tribes.

Additional Requestors and Disposition

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 and associated funerary objects should submit a written request with information in support of the request to Sissel Schroeder, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Anthropology, 1180 Observatory Drive, 5240 Social Sciences Building, Madison, WI 53706, telephone (608) 262-0317, email sschroeder2@wisc.edu, by June 21, 2021. After that date, if no additional requestors have come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and associated funerary objects to The Tribes may proceed.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Anthropology is responsible for notifying The Consulted and Invited Tribes and The Tribes that this notice has been published.