The Smithsonian Institution and the Arctic Slope Regional Corp. are locked in a battle over 85 human remains that were taken from Alaska's North Slope in the early 20th century.

ASRC, the Alaska Native regional corporation for Inupiat Eskimos, has been trying to reclaim the remains for more than 10 years. The Inupiats believe the bones are those of their ancestors and will take DNA tests to prove it.

The Smithsonian takes a different view and says the remains are from a group of Natives that left Alaska and migrated to Greenland and Canada. They say the bones are not "culturally affiliated" to the Inupiats or any other tribe in the U.S.

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Barrow Natives battle Smithsonian over bones (The Anchorage Daily News 1/29)
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