This distinction is useful beyond repatriation.

Historians and archaeologists constantly work with incomplete records.

They combine documents, objects, landscapes, oral accounts, linguistic evidence, environmental data, and scientific measurements.

Strong interpretations emerge when multiple lines of evidence converge.

No responsible scholar would argue that a single source automatically settles every question.

The same principle should apply to Native history.

Spirit Cave became difficult because officials initially treated uncertainty in one category as though it erased strength in others.

The eventual resolution moved toward a cumulative approach.

Geography mattered.

Tribal history mattered.