FR Doc 05-23869
[Federal Register: December 9, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 236)]
[Notices]
[Page 73258-73260]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09de05-101]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Notice of Intent to Repatriate Cultural Items: American Museum of
Natural History, New York, NY
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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Notice is here given in accordance with the Native American Graves
Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 3005, of the intent
to repatriate cultural items in the possession of the American Museum
of Natural History, New York, NY, that meet the definition of
``unassociated funerary objects'' under 25 U.S.C. 3001.
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 that has control of the cultural items. The National Park
Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.
The 56 cultural items are 2 baskets, 2 carvings, 12 charms, 2
crowns, 3 wands, 1 pair of earrings, 2 hair pins, 6 headdresses, 5
headdress ornaments, 6 masks, 1 pipe, 6 rattles, 1 walrus ivory, 3
whale's teeth, 1 wooden box with top, 1 bundle of twigs, 1 bone knife,
and 1 ceremonial hat. All of the cultural items were collected by
Lieutenant George Thornton Emmons.
In the following list, the origin, collection, and acquisition
information is derived from museum records.
The first basket, which came from an old grave house of a doctor of
the ``Hoonah kow,'' is made from plant fibers and measures 12 x 3 x 11
cm. The second basket, which came from the grave house of a shaman of
``Gau-da-can, Hoonah-kow,'' is made of spruce wood, is oblong in shape,
exhibits a geometric pattern, and measures 14 x 7 x 3 cm.
The first carving, which came from an old grave house of a doctor
of the ``Hoonah-kow'' on an island off the west coast of Chichagoff
Island, near Portlock Harbor, AK, is made of ivory. Although the
carving is unfinished, it was intended to represent a bear and would
have been attached to a dance robe when completed. The second carving,
which came from an old dilapidated shaman's grave in ``Hooniah,'' is
made of stone and depicts an eagle sitting up.
The first three charms came from an old grave house of a shaman of
the ``Kar-qwan-ton'' of the ``Hoonah-kow'' on an island in Cross Sound,
AK. The charms are made of bone and they are carved to represent a land
otter's spirit, a bear's spirit, and a land otter's spirit
respectively. The fourth charm came from an old grave house of a doctor
near ``Thlu-hug-gu,'' is made of bone and depicts a salt water worm.
The fifth charm is a peccary tusk that came from a doctor's grave house
which stood on an island off the west coast of Chichagoff Island, near
Portlock Harbor, AK. The sixth charm is made of bone and came from the
grave house of a doctor of the ``Hoonah kow'' on Icy Straits, AK;
although unfinished, it is shaped like a cross. The seventh charm came
from the grave house of a deceased doctor of the ``Hoonah-kow'' at
``Gan-ar-dar-kan.'' This charm is a piece of unadorned green stone that
was worn suspended around the neck and may have served as a scratcher.
The eighth charm is made of either bone or ivory and came from the
grave house of a shaman of the ``Hoon-ah'' tribe near ``Gan-na-kan.''
This charm depicts a figure surrounded by devil fish. The remaining
four charms were removed from an old moose skin dancing robe from an
old shaman's grave house at ``Hooniah.'' The grave house was placed on
a rocky eminence, one quarter mile from the village. The ninth charm is
made of ivory and consists of five figures. The largest of the five
figures represents a bear and the smallest depicts a land otter while
three heads represent witches. The tenth charm is made of ivory and is
carved to represent an eagle's spirit. The eleventh charm is made of
bone and depicts a whale eating a man; a bear's head is carved into the
whale's fin and a crow's head is carved into its tail. The twelfth
charm is carved from ivory and depicts a witch that has been bound.
The first crown is made of ten carved mountain goat horns that are
attached to a piece of sinew. Lieutenant Emmons acquired the crown from
a practicing doctor of the ``Ky-yatso-hit-ton'' (Iron House) who had
obtained it from his ancestor, a doctor, who was buried at ``Ar-son-ku,
Hoonah kow.'' The second crown came from an old grave house near ``Gau-
da-can'' of the ``Hoonah-kow'' and is made of nine mountain goat horns
that are carved to represent devil fish that are attached to a piece of
sinew.
The three dance wands are made of wood. The first wand came from an
old shaman's grave house on an island in the Icy Straits and is carved
to represent a land otter with a protruding tongue that forms a spear
blade on one end. The opposite end is carved to represent a sand hill
crane while the two sides represent devil fish. The second and third
wands were found in an old grave
[[Page 73259]]
house of a doctor of the ``Hoonah kow'' at ``Kook-noo-oa.'' The second
wand is inlaid with abalone and is carved to represent a land otter;
the sides are cut and painted to represent a star fish with two dog
salmon on one side and two salmon and an old copper on the other. The
third wand is carved and ornamented to represent a sculpin.
The earrings were removed from a doctor's grave house that stood on
an island off the west coast of Chichigoff Island, near Portlock
Harbor, AK, and are made of sea lion teeth that have been carved to
represent a black fish.
The first hair pin had been the property of a doctor from Hoonah
and had come from a grave house on a rocky bluff at the entrance of
Port Frederick, AK. It consists of two pieces of bone or ivory which
are attached with sinew. The second hair pin is made of ivory and came
from Cross Sound, AK, where it had been placed in the hair of a
deceased doctor when he was prepared for final disposition.
The first three headdresses were found among a doctor's articles of
practice that had been placed in an old grave house near ``Gau-da-can,
Hoonah kow.'' The first headdress is made of swan down, eagle feathers,
ermine skin, brown bear fur, and includes a wooden spirit guard that
sits between two wooden horns. The second headdress is made of swan
down, eagle tail feathers, and includes a small mask of a Tlingit
spirit guard that represents a man who had been killed in a fight. The
third headdress is made of red cedar bark that has been twisted into
rope. The remaining three headdresses came from a Hoonah shaman's grave
house that was placed on a rocky bluff at the entrance of Port
Frederick, AK. The fourth headdress is made of either swan or eagle
down, eagle feathers, and includes an eagle spirit mask that is painted
green, red, and black. The fifth headdress is made of eagle down and
eagle feathers, and includes a hawk spirit mask that is painted blue,
red, and black. The sixth headdress is made of eagle down and eagle
feathers and includes a bear spirit mask that is painted red, green,
and black.
The five headdress ornaments are carved of wood. The first ornament
was the property of a former doctor from Hoonah and came from a grave
house on a rocky bluff at the entrance of Port Frederick, AK. This
ornament depicts a Tlingit man and above him, a salmon that is painted
red, black, and blue. The remaining four headdress ornaments were found
in a carved wooden box partially hidden under the decayed logs of a
Hoonah shaman's grave house on Icy Straits, AK, not far from ``Gan-da-
kan.'' The second headdress ornament depicts the head of a hair seal
that is painted black, blue, and red and is adorned with operculum and
human hair. The third headdress ornament represents the head of a fox
that is painted black, red, and blue. The fourth headdress ornament
depicts the head of a mosquito that has been painted black and red and
ornamented with human hair. The fifth ornament represents the face of
an owl.
The first mask is carved from wood and came from an old grave house
from ``Gau-da-can, Hoonah-kow.'' It represents a hawk spirit and is
painted red, blue, and black. The second mask has been carved from a
whale vertebra to depict a raven that is ornamented with copper,
operculum teeth, and human hair. This mask came from the grave house of
a doctor on an island in Cross Sound, AK. The third mask is made from
wood and came from an old shaman's grave, ``Hooniah.'' It depicts the
face of a ``Stick Indian'' shaman; a wolf has been carved into the
forehead of the shaman and the face of the shaman is surrounded by six
land otters, three on each side. Lieutenant Emmons acquired the
remaining three masks from an ``old Kar-qwan-ton'' of the ``Hoonah-
kow'' who said that they had been the property of a deceased Hoonah
doctor of his family and had been removed from his grave house. The
fourth, fifth, and sixth masks are carved from bone and represent a
Tlingit doctor, the spirits of a dead Tlingit, and the spirit of a dead
doctor with ``yake mask over forehead'' respectively.
The pipe comes from an old dilapidated grave house, ``Hooniah,''
and is a made of slate. The pipe's bowl is carved to represent the head
of a doctor ornamented with a crown or headdress.
The six rattles are carved from wood. The first was the property of
an old ``Hoonah kow'' doctor and was taken from a grave near ``Gau-da-
can.'' This rattle represents the sun. It is painted red and ornamented
with operculi, which represent the sun's rays. The second and third
rattles were the property of a former doctor from Hoonah and came from
a grave house on a rocky bluff at the entrance of Port Frederick, AK.
The second rattle is painted red and black and carved to represent an
oyster catcher; the back side is carved to represent a sleeping witch
spirit. The third rattle is painted blue, red, and black and is also
carved to represent an oyster catcher; the back side of the rattle
depicts a figure that represents a bound witch. Near the handle is a
figure that represents a wolf spirit with a protruding tongue while the
underside is carved to depict a hawk. The fourth and fifth rattles came
from an old shaman's grave, ``Hooniah.'' The fourth rattle is carved to
represent an oyster catcher with an ivory bill; the backside consists
of two figures that represent bound witches in the mouths of two
wolves. The underside is carved to represent an owl. The fifth rattle
is carved to represent the sun. The sixth rattle came from the grave
house of a dead doctor of the ``Kar-qwan-ton'' family of the ``Hoonah
kow'' and is painted red and black and is shaped to represent the new
moon.
The first whale's tooth is cut along one side, while the second
consists of a section of a whale's tooth, and the third whale's tooth
does not appear to have been modified. The section of walrus ivory is
partially carved. The whale's teeth and walrus ivory came from an old
grave house of a doctor of the ``Hoonah-kow'' on one of the Porpoise
Islands, Icy Straits, AK. The first and second whale's teeth were found
together, while the unmodified tooth and the ivory were found
individually.
The wooden box came from an old ``Tuck-tam-ton'' shaman's grave.
The box, which also includes a top, measures 60 x 40 x 28 cm and is
carved to represent a mythical sea spirit.
The bundle of twigs encloses an owl's tongue and is wrapped in
plant fiber. Lieutenant Emmons acquired the bundle of twigs from a
practicing doctor of the ``Ky-yatso-hit-ton'' (Iron House) who had
removed the bundle from the grave house of a doctor, his ancestor, who
was buried at ``Ar-son-ku.''
The knife is made of bone, ornamented with copper and has a handle
that is carved to represent a bear. Lieutenant Emmons acquired the
knife from an ``old Kar-qwan-ton'' of the ``Hoonah kow'' who claimed
that it had been the property of a deceased Hoonah doctor of his family
and had been removed from a grave house.
The ceremonial hat is made of spruce wood and is flat and oblong in
shape. Colored grasses are woven into the hat to create geometric
patterns and two dogs. Attached to the bottom border of the hat is a
cloth tie. The hat comes from the grave house of a deceased doctor of
the ``Hoonah-kow'' near ``Gan-den-kan.''
At an unknown date, Lieutenant Emmons acquired the pipe, the eagle
carving, the ivory charm with five figures, the ivory eagle spirit
charm, the whale eating a man charm, the ivory charm that represents a
bound witch, the oyster catcher rattle with an ivory bill, the wooden
painted sun rattle, and the ``Stick Indian'' shaman mask. In 1888, the
American Museum of Natural
[[Page 73260]]
History purchased the nine cultural items from Lieutenant Emmons and
accessioned them into its collection that same year.
At an unknown date, Lieutenant Emmons acquired the 2 baskets, the
unfinished bear carving, the 2 land otter spirit charms, the bear
spirit charm, the salt water worm charm, the peccary tusk charm, the
cross-shaped charm, one of the crowns, 3 dance wands, 5 masks (hawk
spirit, vertebra of whale, Tlingit doctor, spirit of a dead Tlingit,
and dead doctor with mask over forehead), the bone knife, the earrings,
the 2 hair pins, the 6 headdresses, 1 salmon headdress ornament, the
sun rattle with operculi, the oyster catcher-rattle with the dead man
in the bill of a crane, the oyster catcher rattle with the sleeping
witch spirit, the oyster catcher rattle with the witch that has been
bound, the new moon rattle, the walrus ivory, the three whale's teeth,
the bundle of twigs, the wooden box, and the spruce wood hat. In 1894,
the American Museum of Natural History purchased the 41 cultural items
from Lieutenant Emmons and accessioned them into its collection that
same year.
At an unknown date, Lieutenant Emmons acquired the hair seal, fox,
mosquito, and owl headdress ornaments and the green stone charm or
scratcher. In 1896, the American Museum of Natural History purchased
the five cultural items from Lieutenant Emmons and accessioned them
into its collection that same year.
At an unknown date, Lieutenant Emmons acquired the charm that
depicts a figure surrounded by devil fish. In 1897, the American Museum
of Natural History purchased this cultural item from Lieutenant Emmons
and accessioned it into its collection that same year.
The cultural affiliation of the 56 cultural items is Hoonah Tlingit
as indicated through museum records and consultation with
representatives of the Hoonah Indian Association. Museum records
variously identify the cultural items as having been the property of
individuals who are from Hoonah or Hooniah or who belonged to the
Hoonah-kow and/or variously indicate that the items came from shamans'
grave houses located within the traditional territory of the Hoonah
Tlingit.
Officials of the American Museum of Natural History have determined
that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (3) (B), the 56 cultural items
described above 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 and are believed, by a preponderance of the
evidence, to have been removed from a specific burial site of a Native
American individual. Officials of the American Museum of Natural
History also have determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (2),
there is a relationship of shared group identity that can be reasonably
traced between the unassociated funerary objects and the Hoonah Indian
Association.
The American Museum of Natural History have determined that the
museum has right of possession for 10 cultural items, which are the
bundle of twigs, the crown of horns with carvings that depict devil
fish, the three bone masks, the bone knife, the new moon rattle, the
unmodified whale's tooth, the whale's tooth section, and the spruce
wood hat, but have decided to waive that right.
Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes itself to
be culturally affiliated with the 56 unassociated funerary objects
should contact Nell Murphy, Director of Cultural Resources, American
Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York,
NY 10024, telephone (212) 769-5837, before January 9, 2006.
Repatriation of the unassociated funerary objects to the Hoonah Indian
Association may proceed after that date if no additional claimants come
forward.
The American Museum of Natural History is responsible for notifying
the Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Hoonah
Indian Association, Huna Totem Corporation, and Sealaska Heritage
Foundation that this notice has been published.
Dated: October 11, 2005
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 05-23869 Filed 12-8-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-50-S
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