White deerskins, condor feathers and head dresses made of bright
red woodpecker scalps are among more than 200 sacred artifacts
that are once again in the possession of a Northern California
Indian tribe. The Yurok Tribe celebrated the items' return this
past week - among the largest repatriation of Native American
sacred objects ever - from the Smithsonian Institution's
National Museum of the American Indian. "It's part of the fabric
of who we are and why we are," said Javier Kinney, who helped
truck the artifacts back from Suitland-Silver Hill, Md. "It's a
little bit of mixed emotion - sadness that they were gone for so
long but joy and excitement that they're back. It's like family
coming back home." The tribe has 5,500 members and lives on
55,000 acres along the Klamath River near the Oregon border. Its
leaders say the artifacts date back hundreds and maybe even
thousands of years. They will continue to be used in ceremonies
intended to heal the world. At least some of them will also be
displayed at a cul