TITLE: Support for Legislative Action to Return the Ancient One to Claimant Tribes
WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants the inherent sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and agreements with the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are entitled under the laws and Constitution of the United States, to enlighten the public toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the health, safety and welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish and submit the following resolution; and
WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was established in 1944 and is the oldest and largest national organization of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments; and
WHEREAS, in July of 1996 the skeletal remains of a human being were discovered on lands owned by the Army Corps of Engineers in the Columbia River near Kennewick, Washington, remains which proved to be over 9,000 years old and came to be known as the Ancient One; and
WHEREAS, when the Ancient One was found, the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Nez Perce Tribe and the Wanapum Tribe (Claimant tribes) requested that the Ancient One be repatriated pursuant to the provisions of NAGPRA so that he could be properly buried pursuant to the strongly held beliefs and customs of those tribes; and
WHEREAS, NCAI adopted Resolution #MSP-15-037, “Support for the Return of the Ancient One (AKA Kennewick Man) to the Claimant Tribes” during its 2015 Mid-Year Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota; and
WHEREAS, Resolution #MSP-15-037 requested Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell to introduce legislation or secure an amendment to related legislation to direct the Army Corps of Engineers to return the Ancient One to the Claimant tribes or to the State of Washington's Historic Preservation Office so that he can be repatriated, treated in the respectful fashion that these remains deserve and properly buried pursuant to long standing Indian practices; and
WHEREAS, Senator Patty Murray introduced the “Bring the Ancient One Home Act of 2015” in the United States Senate of the 114th Congress on August 5, 2015; and
WHEREAS, the “Bring the Ancient One Home Act of 2015”, directs the Chief of Engineers to transfer the Ancient One, commonly referred to as the Kennewick Man, to the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation to be ultimately repatriated to the tribes that have claimed him.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) does hereby support legislative actions such as the “Bring the Ancient One Home Act”, introduced by Senator Patty Murray; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NCAI urges Congress to swiftly pass the “Bring the Ancient One Home Act” to repatriate the Ancient One to the Claimant tribes of the Pacific Northwest; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be the policy of NCAI until it is withdrawn or modified by subsequent resolution.