Michigan college to return Native American artifact to tribe

ALBION, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan college will return a Native American war god idol to a southwestern U.S. tribe.

Albion College plans to give back the Ahayuda idol to the Zuni tribe during a private ceremony on Thursday, The Jackson Citizen Patriot reported .

"I believe for the Zuni, this is like a return of an ancestor," said Bille Wickre, an art history professor at the college.

The Zuni tribe has about 9,000 people who live predominantly in New Mexico, she said.

"I think they were very surprised to find that Albion College had one of these," Wickre said. "They're very rare."

The idol is about 2 feet (0.6 meters) long and dates back to the 19th century, according to school officials.