It established that institutions receiving federal funding must inventory their holdings of Native American human remains and associated objects, must notify relevant tribes, and must repatriate materials upon request when cultural affiliation can be established.

The Buhl burial was handled under Idaho state law rather than NAGPRA, which applied to federal agencies and federally funded institutions.

The Idaho law’s provision — return to the geographically nearest federally recognized tribe — was less nuanced than NAGPRA’s cultural affiliation standard, but it reflected the same underlying principle: Indigenous peoples have rights over the remains of their ancestors that supersede scientific claims.

The objections from archaeologists at the time were specific and scientifically grounded: the burial was so old that cultural affiliation with any contemporary tribe was scientifically uncertain; the scientific value of further study was high; the reburial would permanently end the possibility of future analysis.