Archaeologists in Washington are thrilled at the discovery of a major Indian site but to members of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, it's been a difficult few months.

State construction workers unearthed a village and remains during a construction project. Work was halted and the tribe was brought in to determine what to do next.

Tribal members are glad to be involved but say it is hard to remove the remains of their ancestors and rebury them elsewhere. They would have preferred if the site had never been touched.

The tribe also found out that some of their ancestors were used as landfill during the early 1900s. Tribal members say they always knew a village was located at the site but didn't have evidence to prove it. Now, archaeologist say it is one of the most significant discoveries in the Pacific Northwest.

Get the Story:
An open window to tribe's history (The Bremerton Sun 7/27)

Relevant Links:
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe - http://www.elwha.org

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Klallam village in Washington larger than expected (7/23)
Klallam village in Washington called significant find (07/14)
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State to pay for reburial of Klallam ancestors (04/13)
Wash. tribe to sign agreement for reburial of ancestors (03/16)
Tribal remains used as landfill at mill site (11/07)
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