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Bill introduced in Senate to return Kennewick Man to tribes

A clay model of the head of Kennewick Man, based on a 9,200-year-old skull found in July 1996 in south-central Washington, is shown at Columbia Basin College in Richland in this undated file photo. (JAMES CHATTERS / Associated Press)
Associated Press
A clay model of the head of Kennewick Man, based on a 9,200-year-old skull found in July 1996 in south-central Washington, is shown at Columbia Basin College in Richland in this undated file photo. (JAMES CHATTERS / Associated Press)

A bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate to require the federal government to give the bones of Kennewick Man back to the Indian tribes from which he descended.

The bipartisan bill was introduced Tuesday by Sen. Barbara Boxer and Sen. James Inhofe.

It calls for the Army Corps of Engineers to repatriate the 9,000-year-old skeleton back to the tribes for reburial.

The language on Kennewick Man was originally introduced last year by Sen. Patty Murray.

The remains were discovered in 1996 near the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington, triggering a lengthy legal fight between tribes and scientists.

Kennewick Man is one of the oldest and most complete skeletons found in North America. Last year, new genetic evidence determined the remains were closer to modern Native Americans than any other population in the world.