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Nine years after
its initial discovery, followed by a long series of court battles, a group
of scientists have finally been able to undertake a detailed examination
of the ancient American remains known as Kennewick Man. The saga began when
a human skull was found in July, 1996 along the banks of the Columbia River
near Kennewick, Washington. Originally identified by forensic anthropologist
James Chatters as having Caucasoid features, the Kennewick remains were at
first thought to be those of a recent European male. When the postcranial
bones were examined, however, a projectile point in the pelvic region was
identified as belonging to the Early Archaic period (ca. 9500-8000 BP). This
date was confirmed when a metacarpal bone submitted by Chatters was radiocarbon
dated to 9300 BP. Kennewick Man was thus one of the oldest human skeletons
ever found in North America (AR 1,4:7). The early date and
a combination of skull features, not typical in modern Native Americans,
make the skeleton of great scientific interest in understanding migrations
to the New World 20,000-5,000 years ago.
Shortly thereafter,
local Native American tribes demanded that the bones be declared ancestral
remains and reburied. Supported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the
tribes sought reburial under the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Under the act's provisions, any human bones found
in North America that predate AD 1492 (the arrival of the first Europeans)
must be returned to local Native American tribes. Despite protests by scientists,
the site where the skeleton was found was buried by the Corps under tons
of rocks, precluding any future investigations. While Kennewick man was under
lock and key, eight prominent scientists, including Dennis Stanford and Douglas
Owsley of the Smithsonian, C. Loring Brace of the University of Michigan,
and the late Robson Bonnichson of the Center for the Study of the First
Americans, led the fight to study his remains.
In the winter of
1999, the bones were transferred to the Burke Museum at the University of
Washington. A panel of experts selected by the government, including Francis
McManamon, chief archaeologist of the National Park Service, were permitted
to make a "non-destructive" study to determine a tribal affiliation
(AR 2,2). Later that year, samples from Kennewick Man's tibia
and toe were sent for radiocarbon dating, resulting in a verification of
the earlier date of around 9,200 BP.
The decision by
Interior officials to proceed with DNA testing in 2000 was opposed by the
Confederated tribes of the Colville Reservation, who stated that such tests
violated their beliefs (AR 2,3). These tests, in any case,
proved to be inconclusive, and the Interior Department, relying on provisions
of NAGPRA, stated that a cultural affiliation existed between the fossils
and the local tribes, paving the way for their repatriation. The eight scientists
contested this ruling, and the case was reactivated in October 2000 (AR
2,4). In 2002, a court decision found in favor of the scientists,
but was appealed by both the government and four northwest coast tribes
(AR 3,3).
Legal skirmishing
finally came to a halt in 2004 when an appeals court ruled in favor of the
scientists. In July 2005, a dozen or so researchers, including Douglas Owsley
of the original eight plaintiffs, were permitted to study Kennewick Man's
remains. These specialists, limited to an initial two week hands-on period,
worked with a new plastic model of the skull and postcranial skeleton made
from a high-powered CT scan of the original bones. According to Dr. Owsley,
researchers can now determine how and when the skeleton's bone fractures
occurred using a process known as a taphonomic analysis. This research should
determine whether or not Kennewick Man was intentionally buried. There may
also be a revision of his age at death.
Scientists were
permitted to remove small fragments of bone which are being submitted to
chemical testing by Thomas Stafford of the University of Wisconsin. Additional
study of the bones is scheduled for early 2006. Information gathered during
this intensive study could eventually reveal details of Kennewick man's diet,
age, injuries, cause of death, and his relation to evolutionary history.
On July 28, 2005,
the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs convened a hearing on a proposed amendment
which would change NAGPRA's definition of "Native American" to "of, or relating
to, a people, culture, or tribe, that is or was indigenous to the United
States. Arguments were heard for and against this change. In a surprising
turn of events, the Department of the Interior, which had been on the losing
side of the Kennewick decision, came out in favor of retaining NAGPRA as
currently written. A statement released by the Department stated that remains
not affiliated with any existing Native American tribe should be available
for scientific research.
References:
[Dalton, R. 2005 "Scientists finally get their
hands on Kennewick man," Nature 436:16; Lepper, B.T., 2005, "Dept. of the
Interior Stands up for Science," Mammoth Trumpet, 20,4. McManamon, F.P. 2004.
"Kennewick Man". Natl. Park Service, Archaeology and Ethnography Program
at http://www.cr.nps.gov/ aad/kennewick/; Kennewick Man Virtual Interpretive
Center: http//:www. kennewick-man/kman/news/story/6685243p-657118c.html;
Science 309: 696]
This article appears on page 4-5 in Vol.4 No.2 of Athena
Review.
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