By the Associated Press
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Gov. Jay Inslee has sent a letter requesting that the remains of “Kennewick Man” be returned to Native American tribes.
Inslee’s letter was sent Tuesday to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Kennewick Man was discovered in 1996 in the water along the Columbia River in Kennewick.
Radiocarbon dating revealed the bones were about 8,500 years old. DNA analysis now shows a genetic link to modern Native Americans.
Inslee is asking that the remains be given to the appropriate tribes as soon as possible.
He says tribes in Washington have waited nineteen years for the remains to be reburied.
Inslee asked the corps to provide a timeline for the return of Kennewick Man and offered assistance from the state Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation.