Gov. Christine Gregoire and the head of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe have agreed to formal negotiations early next year on all the issues raised by discovery of remains and relics at the waterfront staging site for work on the Hood Canal Bridge.
For centuries, the site was occupied by the tribal village of Tze-whit-zen.
Tom Fitzsimmons, Gregoire's chief of staff, said the tribe has agreed to publicly support a state plan to build huge concrete anchors on the shoreward edge of the former construction site, which allows the project to move forward through the permit process.
Hmmmmmm. Construction was halted last year and was supposed to be moved elsewhere. Now it appears that construction will begin again in the same vicinity. We're trying to get more info on this.
Similar situation here: Burial ground causes a furor
Archaeologists have discovered 96 locations believed to contain human remains at a pioneer cemetery site here, prompting the Tulalip Tribes to object to building a senior center on the site.
"We don't know how many of them are Indian. That'll have to be determined by DNA and the courts," said Hank Gobin, the Tulalip's cultural resources director.
The Tulalips want the remains left where they are.