There was a nine - year - long legal battle to decide whether the remains could be studied at all, or
whether cultural ties meant that they should be passed to Native Americans for reburial.
«If a residence permit has been applied for on the basis of family
ties, account must be taken, when considering
whether to refuse the permit, of the nature and solidity of the foreigner's family
ties, the duration of his residence in the country, and his family,
cultural and social
ties to his home country.