Massachusetts museum returns sacred items to Sioux tribes

BARRE, Mass. (AP) — A two hour ceremony was held in Massachusetts on Saturday to mark the symbolic return of about 150 items considered sacred by the Sioux peoples that had been stored at a small Massachusetts museum for more than a century. The ceremony included representatives of the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes. The artifacts will be officially handed over during a private ceremony. The items include weapons, pipes, moccasins and clothing. Several of the items are thought to have a direct link to the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota. The items had been held by the Founders Museum in Barre, Massachusetts.