Tribes gain faster access to remains

By: Electa Draper

The bones of ancient Indians found on private and nonfederal public lands in Colorado now can be returned to tribes for reburial in as little as 100 days, rather than sitting in storage during years of consultation over cultural identity.

The Colorado Historical Society, Ute tribes, the state Commission on Indian Affairs and 45 regional tribes agreed on a process for remains inadvertently discovered.

"This is a huge step," said Ernest House, a Ute Mountain Ute tribal member and commission spokesman. "The Ute tribes will take the lead, but no tribe is left out."

The state typically experiences seven to 10 inadvertent discoveries of human remains a year, House said. The state's preference is to avoid disturbing or removing remains, yet this is sometimes impossible because construction activities or other circumstances require removal.

The recently approved process also will allow the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes to take responsibility for reburying the last unidentified remains, 37 sets, still housed by the Colorado History Museum in Denver.

"It doesn't seem like a big number, but the process will take care of new finds," said historical society spokeswoman Sheila Goff.

The museum currently houses about 250 additional sets of human remains that technically have been repatriated but not yet transferred by tribes to burial sites. Goff said it is the decision of tribes affiliated with the remains as to when they will claim and rebury them.

Under the new process, House said, any remains temporarily stored will be treated respectfully — no photographs, DNA or other destructive analyses. Remains will be held in cedar boxes, House said, "keeping them in touch with a natural element."

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