The court decision was important.

But from the tribe’s perspective, success was not a paper in Science.

It was the ability to bury an ancestor again.

The Larger Lesson For Archaeology

Spirit Cave is now frequently discussed alongside other repatriation cases because it demonstrates how quickly scientific certainty can change.

In one era, skeletal measurements were used to argue that some ancient individuals were biologically separate from Native peoples.

Later genomic evidence challenged that interpretation.

That should make institutions cautious about using today’s uncertainty to justify permanent control.

Science advances by revising itself.

A theory that appears persuasive in 2000 may look very different after new evidence in 2018.