The Bishop Museum has decided to keep a funerary object sought by three competing Hawaiian organizations until the groups settle on the disposition of the artifact, a cowrie shell that the museum acquired after it was unearthed near Mo'omomi, Moloka'i.

Also yesterday, the museum's directors decided to recognize another group as a claimant on the objects that were reburied at Forbes Cave in a controversial Big Island case.

In each case, the board followed the recommendations of a nine-member museum board collections committee.

The claims in both cases fall under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990, widely known as NAGPRA, which established a process for museums and federal agencies to return certain cultural items to lineal descendants, culturally affiliated Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations.

Supporters of a change in federal law that would expand the claims of American Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian groups to ancient burial remains and cultural artifacts have found an unlikely foe: the Bush administration.

The Interior Department, which had supported the idea in another court case, reversed its position yesterday, saying it did not support the change, which awaits action by the full Senate.

The change in the law that protects native gravesites would allow indigenous groups to claim ancient artifacts even if the materials have no connection to any tribal group still in existence.

"In the situation where remains are not significantly related to any existing tribe, people or culture, they should be available for appropriate scientific analysis," said Paul Hoffman, a deputy assistant secretary at the Interior Department.