Thorpe's family wants his body

Associated Press

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JIM THORPE, Pa. -- Relatives of famed American Indian athlete Jim Thorpe plan to go to federal court in Philadelphia in their long-running effort to win the return of his body from the Pennsylvania town that changed its name to provide him a final resting place -- even though he never set foot there.

Family members have spent a quarter-century trying to persuade the eastern Pennsylvania borough to return the remains of the Sac and Fox Indian for reburial near Shawnee, Okla., where his father and other relatives are buried.

"According to Sac and Fox tradition, Dad's soul will never be at peace until his body is laid to rest, after an appropriate ceremony, back here in his home," said Jack Thorpe, the youngest son. "Until then, his soul is doomed to wander. We must have him back."

Attorney Sean W. Pickett, of Kansas City, Mo., said the suit to be filed this month will argue that the borough must hand over the remains under the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act that requires federal agencies and institutions that get federal funding to return American Indian cultural items and human remains to their peoples.

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