Work stops after ancestral remains discovered in Asotin

ASOTIN, Wash. (AP) — Work has been halted at a residential construction site near the Asotin County Fairgrounds in eastern Washington where ancestral human remains were discovered.  

Nez Perce Tribe spokeswoman Kayeloni Scott says the tribe was notified last week when crews inadvertently found a Native American gravesite on a hillside overlooking the city.

Scott told the Lewiston Tribune the tribe was grateful that they were contacted and work stopped so the remains can be properly handled.

The 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act says descendants of those interred must be consulted and have a say in exactly how the graves are handled.