The ancient remains of roughly 20 people uncovered by construction crews, farmers, and locals over the past four years will be turned over to the Winnebago tribe for a reburial ceremony. This marks the first such repatriation after the implementation of a new Nebraska state law. The age of the remains ranges from 1,000-5,000 years old, including bone fragments and some almost complete skeletons. The law passed by the state legislature last year requires that the State Historical Society hand over unclaimed or unidentified remains to the state's tribes for reburial, overseen by the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs. For the Winnebago, the reburial is seen as an act of healing among tribes, regardless of what peoples the remains are from.
