ASOTIN, Wash. — Ancestral human remains were discovered near the Asotin County Fairgrounds while residential construction was taking place.
Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee Chairman Samuel Penney said in a statement that the tribe was notified about the discovery on Dec. 3.
"We are grateful for the individuals who ceased work immediately and contacted us," Penney said. "We also appreciate the property owners for doing the right thing by working with us so we can properly handle our ancestors’ remains to ensure there is no further disturbance."
Asotin Police Chief Monte Renzelman told the Associated Press that bones were discovered during the installation of sewer lines for a new house in a property owned by Chris Segroves, who purchased the property four years ago from the city of Asotin.
Roto-Rooter, the company doing the excavation work, notified authorities about the human remains and stopped all digging. Nez Perce Tribal officials, the Asotin police chief and the Asotin County Sheriff's Office visited the site, and they have remained at the scene since the discovery, the Associated Press said.
Penney said that the surveying and monitoring of the site would continue to help them learn more about the findings. Renzelman also told the Associated Press that a Washington state archaeologist was called to see what had been found.
"Due to the age of the bones, as well as some of the artifacts found with them, it was determined it was most likely a Native American burial site," Renzelman said.
Segroves told the Associated Press that he purchased the 1.28 acres for $30,000 from the city, and had plans to build a home there, but now those plans changed.
“I honestly have no idea what’s going to happen now,” Segroves told the Associated Press. “I think it’s wrong to desecrate that property further, knowing there’s an Indian burial site under there.”
The 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act states that human remains of any ancestry must at all times be treated with dignity and respect, and human remains and other cultural items removed from Federal or tribal lands should be return to their descendants.
According to a report by the Smithsonian Institution, approximately 42.5% or 14,523 of the 34,000 human remains currently in the Institution’s collection are those of North American Indians.
The report says the Smithsonian has repatriated and made available for repatriation the human remains of more than 6,000 individuals, 225,000 funerary objects and 1,100 sacred objects.