Final answer:
The 9300-year-old skeleton known as Kennewick Man was found in Washington and became the center of a legal battle between scientists and Native American groups. After DNA analysis confirmed a genetic link, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted the repatriation of the remains to the Native American tribes, which reburied the remains in 2017 following their cultural customs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The 9300-year-old skeleton found in Washington state that sparked a legal battle over repatriation is known as Kennewick Man.
In 1996, when the remains were first discovered, there was much excitement over the possibility that they could provide new insights into early human migration patterns into the Americas. Many scientists believed that Kennewick Man's anatomical features suggested a link with Southeast Asian or Polynesian populations, potentially redefining our understanding of how the Americas were populated. However, Native American groups, particularly the Umatilla tribes, claimed that Kennewick Man was an ancestor of theirs and that his remains should be reburied according to their customs. Native American beliefs and cultural practices often hold that once a person is buried, their body should remain untouched. After a lengthy legal battle and a DNA analysis that confirmed a sufficient genetic link, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided in 2016 that the bones should be returned to the Native American groups. In 2017, Kennewick Man was finally reburied in an undisclosed location within Washington State.