And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: link provided by Mary Meckel Indians to ask UNL for return of bones http://www.journalstar.com/stories/loc/sto6 BY JOE DUGGAN Lincoln Journal Star Frustrated with a slow federal bureaucracy, a contingent of American Indians will ask the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Thursday for the immediate return of Indian bones in its archaeological collection. Seven months after Chancellor James Moeser signed an agreement with 16 Indian nations to return the remains, Scott Barta, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation on the Winnebago Reservation, said the process has taken too long. "The message to the people is the bones are still there, they should not be there, and we're willing to take them and assume all responsibility," said Barta, who lives in Sioux City, Iowa, and works at an alcohol treatment center in Sgt. Bluff, Iowa. The university has been working to return remains to tribal representatives who signed the Sept. 1 agreement, which included the Ho-Chunk. But because of complicated legal requirement involving federal regulations, the repatriation has taken months. "I would say the university's policy is to proceed with repatriation in accordance with federal law," said Priscilla Grew, who heads UNL's repatriation committee. She declined to comment specifically about Barta's plans to ask for the remains. Barta organized a spiritual walk to start at noon Thursday. Participants will meet at the steps of the Capitol, then walk to Bessey Hall on City Campus, where many of the bones were once housed and studied. The remains are now kept in a special storage basement on campus, pending their return to tribes. The spiritual walk will be similar to an event Barta organized last August, when about 125 Indians and non-Indians participated. He said he hopes for similar participation Thursday. The university has bones representing more than 1,600 individuals. Since the agreement was signed, details of many of the remains have been published in the Federal Register, which is required by law before they can be claimed by their descendent tribes. If there are no competing claims during a 30-day waiting period, the remains can be claimed by the appropriate tribe, Grew said. Barta said he doesn't care about the federal law. "To keep those bones in there under duress, that's not right," he said. "Regardless of man-made laws, we want to take those bones out of there." &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
