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New Federal Rule Could Repatriate Many Native American Remains |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 24 March 2010 |
New Federal Rule Could Repatriate Many Native American Remains
Anna King (2010-03-22)
RICHLAND, WA (N3) - A new federal rule might mean thousands of human remains and ancient artifacts will be handed over to Native American tribes. That might even include the famous 9-thousand-year-old skeleton known as Kennewick Man. It was found on the banks of the Columbia River. KPLU's Anna King reports.
Full story
Scientists, museums and tribes are still working with their lawyers to decipher just what the new rule by the Department of the Interior might mean. Scientists studying ancient artifacts and remains oppose the plan, but it's winning praise from tribes. Bambi Kraus is the president of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, a non-profit in Washington, D.C. She says under current rules tribes have to prove an affiliation with the remains to get possession of them. The new rule would eliminate that requirement. She says Native American tribes have a huge task ahead of them -- sorting out the remains.
Bambi Kraus: "We didn't ask for 124,000 of our relatives to be scattered throughout the United States, hundreds of thousands of miles away from where they occurred. It's a huge burden that's been put on our people with very little resources to actually do the work."
The proposed rule is scheduled to take effect May 14. Scientists who are studying Kennewick Man say the rule shouldn't apply to the skeleton. Federal courts have ruled the bones are not Native American.
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1626765/KPLU.Local.News/New.Federal |
