Tribal governments have legal standing under NAGPRA as the governmental representatives of affiliated communities.

But families also have claims — sometimes stronger than tribal governmental claims — to objects that belonged to specific individuals.

Navigating these overlapping claims requires case-by-case assessment and sometimes produces disputes that are neither simple nor easily resolved.

The Burial Question the DNA Did Not Settle

One of the most important things to be clear about in discussing the Sitting Bull DNA study is what the genetic findings did not establish, did not resolve, and were not intended to address.

Sitting Bull’s burial location has been the subject of a long-running dispute.