I live an hour from Kennewick. My very rudimentary understanding of the history of the area can account for at least a half-dozen tribes in the area, many of which were nomadic over a vast area and some of which are not represented by the Confederated tribes that were quoted in the article. So, can someone explain to me how a body gets returned to anyone without some forensic evidence that said body is related to those groups? This corner of the world may be a backwater now, but it was once crawling with Oregon Trail pioneers, fur trappers, explorers, and lots of distinct tribes some of whom were not allies. Are these federal laws really so naive to assume any body that isn't instantly recognizable as modern is automatically given to whatever group chooses to assume that it is theirs? Obviously all the local tribes should be part of such a negotiation, but to conduct no due-dilligence would be galling.

But why did they support it? Because they wanted to make a deal with the tribes so they could bring more pork into the district? Or because they genuinely respect the tribe's beliefs and thought the skeleton was related to them?

One of my biggest pet-peeves is when someone uses a process-based argument to conceal their true motives, and the article sure does a good job of painting it that way. I'd love to hear the other side of the story, whether from the relevant Congresspeople or the Corps.