Archeologists unearthed human skeletal remains from a site in Hays County in the 1960s. Many of the bones were missing, but the ones that remained were telling. | RianeRoldan
Mario Garza, cultural preservation officer of the Miakan-Garza Band, prepares to deliver a prayer outside UT Austin's J.J. Pickle Research Campus earlier this month. The Indigenous Cultures Institute has been calling for the return of Native American remains being held by UT.
For the past six years, the Miakan-Garza Band, a Coahuiltecan tribe in San Marcos, has been petitioning UT to return these remains to them for reburial. They believe the ancient remains, along with the remains of two other people found in Hays County, are their ancestors.in 2020, citing a lack of evidence linking the remains to the Miakan-Garza.
Mario Garza, cultural preservation officer of the Miakan-Garza Band, participates in a prayer with supporters and members of the Miakan-Garza Band outside of the J.J. Pickle Research Campus on Sept. 4. — Emi Aguilar, right, and Spencer Bronson, left, participate in a prayer with supporters and members of the Miakan-Garza Band outside of the J.J. Pickle Research Campus on Sept. 4, 2022, in Austin.
The Miakan-Garza view this latest development as another obstacle put in the way by an institution they say doesn’t want to help them. Rocha said that at times, it’s been hard to stay hopeful. She said her hope is renewed by the fact that there are young people, many who are reconnecting with their Indigenous roots, willing to continue the fight.
“It's difficult when you have different tribes … with different interests from different areas who would like the remains to be reburied with them or in a different location."Institutions ultimately have the final say in whether they want to pursue that option.
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