The Wisconsin Department of Transportation offered an apology to the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians for disturbing a tribal cemetery in 1960.
The state and the tribe agreed to reconstruct a bridge that had been damaged. But the project revealed graves and the state refused to stop work despite tribal protests.
“As Ojibwa people, we have very long memories and some of the things that happened long ago are still very much resonating with us today,” Chairman Mike Wiggins Jr. said at a ceremony yesterday, The Ashland Daily Press reported.
Tribal members witnessed the removal of their ancestors and artifacts from the cemetery. However, the state does not know where it took the remains.
“While we cannot change the past, we will change the future,” said Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi, the paper reported. “We have already started.”
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DOT secretary apologizes for disturbing graves
(AP 5/26)
DOT official apologizes for 1960 Bad River grave disturbances (The Ashland Daily Press 5/26)
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