Human remains uncovered by a construction crew south of White Earth, Minn., Thursday, were those of a young American Indian girl who died more than 80 years ago.
The girl, estimated to be 15 or 16 years old at the time of her death, had been given a traditional tribal burial, said Ron Valiant, executive director of the White Earth Reservation Tribal Council.
The skeletal remains have been reburied in the same area where they were found, he said.
New discoveries of ancient burial sites on the White Earth Indian Reservation are few and far between, he said. The last time a similar site was found was about three years ago, Valiant said.
"We try to treat them with all the respect and dignity we can and rebury them as fast as we can," Valiant said.
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The location of burial sites are documented by the tribe's archeology department using global positioning equipment and kept on record, he said.
Before the remains found Thursday were reburied, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension checked to make sure the person was not a crime victim.
Once it was determined foul play wasn't involved, the bones were returned to White Earth officials for reburial, Becker County Sheriff Tim Gordon said.
Based on items found with the remains, it appeared the young woman was buried in the tribe's customary manner at least 80 years ago and perhaps more than 100 years ago, Valiant said.
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