Cornell University has returned ancestral remains and possessions back to the Oneida Indian Nation.
The remains were stored in Cornell’s archives for decades when they were unearthed in 1964 when property owners dug a ditch for a new water line on their farm near Windsor in Broome County. The Cornell Chronicle reports authorities brought the remains to a Cornell anthropology professor, who carried out forensic identification for age and sex. The remains were then stored in a campus archive until after the professor’s death – only to be rediscovered by younger colleagues during an archival inventory.
A representative for the Nation said the individuals will be laid to rest in the tradition of their people.
Get the top stories on your radio 24/7 on Finger Lakes News Radio 96.3 and 1590, WAUB and 106.3 and 1240, WGVA, and on Finger Lakes Country, 96.1/96.9/101.9/1570 WFLR.