Idaho Murals of Lynching Cause Debate

BOISE, Idaho, April 15 (AP) — For 66 years, two murals depicting the lynching of an Indian have been attached to a staircase wall in an abandoned county courthouse here.

The Idaho Legislature plans to move into the old courthouse in 2008 while the state Capitol is renovated.

Lawmakers, historians and Indian leaders disagree over whether the murals should be preserved as history or removed or covered up as disturbing and offensive.

"They should be painted over," said Claudeo Broncho of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, whose traditional territory included Ada County, where Boise is.

Others want to keep the murals as reminders of injustices committed against Indians. "The shame is not on those who painted the picture, but on those who refuse to acknowledge our history for what it is," said Ted Howard, cultural resources director for the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes.