National

Slain ambassador was descendant of Chinook Chief Comcomly





Chris Stevens, the U.S. Ambassador to Libya who was killed in an attack on September 11, was the great-great-great-great grandchild of Chinook Chief Comcomly, The Seattle Times reports.

Comcomly helped the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1805. His skull was stolen from his gravesite in Washington but recently repatriated to the Chinook Nation, according to Wikipedia.

The Chinook Nation was recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs at the end of the Clinton administration in January 2001. The decision was reversed by the Bush administration in July 2002.

The tribe has been lobbying Congress for federal recognition. The Senate just passed S.Res.588, a resolution that honors Stevens, but it doesn't mention his Indian ancestry.

Get the Story:
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