Prehistoric remains to be returned to tribe

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BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK, S.D. (AP) – The bones of two prehistoric Native Americans found in Badlands National Park will be returned to the Oglala Sioux Tribe for burial unless another tribe claims them before Sept. 17.

The Rapid City Journal reports (http://bit.ly/oOjDwG ) that one of the sets was found in 1958 and has been in the park's possession since 1959. The other set was unearthed from White Butte in Pennington County in 2002.

The National Park Service consulted with tribes in the Dakotas and determined that the Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation has a stronger cultural relationship.

The remains will be returned to the tribe under the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Human occupation of the Badlands National Park area is believed to date back approximately 11,000 years.

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Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com