The site was, for a period, at the center of one of the most contentious heritage disputes in American history.

The eventual repatriation of the remains did not end the BLM’s responsibilities regarding the site, but it did change the character of the federal management obligation — from managing a contested archaeological resource to protecting a site whose cultural significance was now formally acknowledged and whose living community of interest had been recognized.

The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe’s relationship to the site continues.

The specific nature of that relationship — what ceremonies are conducted at or in connection with the site, what traditional practices connect the Tribe to the landscape of which it is part — belongs to the Tribe and is not for outside narration.