Tribes push to overturn Army burial ruling

February 3, 2025

Two South Dakota tribes are supporting the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska in its appeal to repatriate children’s remains from a U.S. Army cemetery in Pennsylvania. The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate and Spirit Lake Tribe told the Fourth Circuit that the Army’s process for disinterment is a “morass of moving targets” and culturally insensitive. The tribes argue the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act should apply. The Army contends the law does not cover the site.

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