The Onondaga Nation of New York is reclaiming ancestral remains and cultural property from the Onondaga Historical Association.

Dorothy Webster, a late clan mother, sought the return of the remains and the items for several years. She died in 2010 but not before leaving a strong impression on the association.

“These things didn’t belong to us," Gregg Tripoli , the executive director of the group, told The Syracuse Post-Standard.

The remains were returned to the tribe earlier this spring. The other items will be presented at a ceremony next Tuesday.

"Hopefully, it will send a message to other people to do the right thing,” Sid Hill, the tribe's tadadaho, or spiritual leader, told the paper. “How much more sacred can it get than to want your ancestors’ bones to be at rest?

Get the Story:
More than objects: Sacred artifacts return to the Onondagas (The Syracuse Post-Standard 6/6)
Sacred artifacts being returned to NY Iroquois tribe (AP 6/6)