Shoshone-Paiute Tribes lay claim to ancestral remains uncovered in Idaho

Thursday, July 20, 2017  

The Shoshone-Paiute Tribes are laying claim to two ancestors that were recently uncovered in southwestern Idaho.

Chairman Ted Howard told the Associated Press that the tribe has occupied the region where the remains were found for tens of thousands of years. He wants the tribe to rebury the ancestors, the AP reported.

The remains of a young adult and a teenager were found in a badger hole in April. They date as far back as 1436, the Elmore County Sheriff's Department said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

"The reports also stated the remains are also consistent with some Native American groups, but the observation in and of itself does not, nor could not prove racial origin," the post stated, referring to tests conducted by various labs around the country.

The sheriff has turned over the remains to the Bureau of Land Management. The agency could return the remains to tribes under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Read More on the Story:
Tribe wants centuries-old remains found in Idaho (AP 7/20)
Human Remains Found Near Mountain Home Could Date Back To 15th Century (Boise State Public Radio 7/19)
Skeletal remains found in Mountain Home in April estimated to be from as early as 1436 (The Idaho Statesman 7/18)
Sheriff: Bones found in Elmore County badger hole are hundreds of years old (KTVB 7/18)