Excavation continues at former Native American school in Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Archaeologists are continuing to excavate a field thought to contain the lost cemetery of a Native American boarding school.

The Associated Press, which spoke with state Archaeologist Dave Williams, reported that no remains were found Monday.

That contradicts a press release sent Monday evening by the Lincoln Indian Center.

The Indian Center said it was informed that “the remains of our Ancestral American Indian children” had been discovered.

The dig site used to be part of a Native American boarding school in Genoa, which is about 100 miles northwest of Lincoln.

At least 86 students are believed to have died at the school.

The Associated Press reported that the State Archaeology Office and the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs will decide what to do with any remains discovered.

They could be reburied or returned to their tribes, though determining what tribe a child belonged to could be difficult.