Members of Washington tribes say a set of mastodon bones that date back 13,800 years proves how their culture has survived since the ice age.

Tribes and some scholars believe the bones were used to play sla-hal, a game that was used to settle disputes. The game is still played today for ceremonial purposes.

"We have songs that go back into the ice age," , Marvin Kempf, a member of the Snoqualmie Tribe, told The Seattle Times. "This is the evidence that we go back to time immemorial."

Other scholars don't think it's possible to determine what the bones were used for.

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Tribal gathering celebrates unifying culture of an ancient game (The Seattle Times 5/6)