As tribal spokesman, Yozip is sent to Washington to speak to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, but his pleas for justice fail.

"There's a deep-rooted fear of tribal control," a tribal spokesman, Rob McDonald, said.

Now, a tribal spokesman said, there are about 1,500.

Khisha, a tribal spokesman, warned that "the current policy of the government can keep the situation calm temporarily, but (it) will burst again in the future.

Bruce MacDonald, a tribal spokesman, said the exact number of bodies buried on the site has not been determined because bones were mixed with the excavated dirt.

Asked if there was a link between the tribe's campaign contributions and the Interior Department decision, Arthur Henick, the tribal spokesman, said, "Absolutely not."

Mr. Henik, the tribal spokesman, said the Health Department had not yet taken any action against the tribe.

Mr. Carter, the tribal spokesman, heard, for example, about a playground near the reservation that was in such disrepair that it could not be used by local children.

Lawrence Trancosa, a tribal spokesman, would not comment on any aspect of the dispute, saying it was an internal tribal matter.

A tribal spokesman noted his family was not eligible for state compensation and said that they carried "a double burden."