Bones may be repatriated

Legislation is in the works to help repatriate Native American remains found on private land, a growing number of which are being housed indefinitely at repositories.
When human remains are discovered on public lands, they're analyzed to determine cultural affiliation, and Utah tribes have the opportunity to submit claims for repatriation, said Forrest Cuch, director of the Utah Division of Indian Affairs. If no claims are made, the remains are interred at the state burial vault, he said.
But for those remains found on private property, no such process is in place, so they're kept at repositories at places such as the University of Utah or the state Division of History, Cuch said.