LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) -- State officials have returned human remains and artifacts to the Nez Perce Tribe dug up more than four decades ago during construction of a rest stop along U.S. Highway 12.
The Idaho Transportation Department in an announcement Friday says the human remains and related objects were unearthed between 1967 and 1972 near Lenore.
The remains and other items had been stored at the Archaeological Survey of Idaho's Northern Repository at the University of Idaho in Moscow.
In 2005 the state began funding for curating its excavated collections and identified human remains.
Officials tell the Lewiston Tribune that research revealed a strong relationship with the Nez Perce Tribe.
