Kennewick Man Can Be Studied And Re-Buried With Dignity

A man’s body, now a skeleton, was discovered last summer by two college students who were wading in the Columbia River. Forensic analysis has disclosed some clues but his identity remains unknown.

Certain facts are evident: He was about 5 feet 10 inches tall, well-proportioned and between 40 and 55 years old at the time of his death. His skull was rounded, his face was narrow and his nose was long and broad, making his ethnic ties unclear. Chemical analysis indicates his food preferences tended toward fish.

The man had apparently suffered numerous violent injuries during his life - at least six fractured ribs, damage to his left arm and a stone point still lodged in his right hip.

What sounds like a fascinating murder mystery is actually much more. This individual lived and died more than 9,000 years ago.

He is known now as Kennewick Man to the general and scientific populations, and as Ancient One to the Northwest Indian tribes who believe he is their ancestor. He has become the pivot point in a controversy as deep as our need for self-knowledge and as poignant as our desire for human dignity.

When I studied anthropology back in the early ‘70s, stories of other cultures stimulated my imagination with their colorfulness, romance and exotic patterns. I came to respect the tremendous variety and adaptability among different societies. I began to view our way as one way but not the only way to give meaning to the human journey.

So I perceive the debate surrounding Kennewick Man as a very complex and sensitive one, and believe the resolution must somehow satisfy both Native American and scientific interests.

The Umatilla Indians have published a paper articulating their position that Kennewick Man is an ancestor who should be re-buried and put back to rest. Tribal board member and religious leader Armand Minthorn wrote, “If this individual is truly over 9,000 years old, that only substantiates our belief that he is Native American. From our oral histories, we know that our people have been part of this land since the beginning of time.”

To fail to return the remains to the earth is “desecration of the body and a violation of our most deeply held religious beliefs,” he said.

In 1990, Congress legislated the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). This law calls for any Native American human remains, funerary objects or sacred artifacts found on federal land to be offered to the tribe which is identified to be closely related to them.

In the case of Kennewick Man, the bones were found on land under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps accepted the tribes’ claims and planned to return them to the Indians for re-burial. But eight scientists sued for the right to study the remains, arguing that Kennewick Man’s ancestry is questionable in light of his non-Indian features. They said further examination is critical.

The scientists’ suit states, “Repatriation will deprive scholars of any opportunity or right to study this treasure. Study of the skeleton would be of a major benefit to the United States.”

At present, this dialogue is deadlocked and the bones are sealed away.

Kennewick Man’s bones are believed to be the oldest human remains ever found in Washington or Oregon. His skeleton was almost completely preserved, missing only the sternum and a few small bones of the hands and feet.

Enough organic material endures for DNA analysis that could help determine the populations he is most closely related to. Such studies were begun but interrupted before definitive results could be obtained, pending the outcome of the lawsuit. NAGPRA does not appear to have a clear solution for finds like Kennewick Man, which are so ancient that direct cultural ties simply cannot be determined.

James C. Chatters, the archaeologist who initially examined the remains, wrote in the newsletter of the American Anthropological Association, “Given the millennia since he lived, he may be sire to none or all of us.”

Without further study, there is no way to understand his place in the chain of generations that peopled this region.

While studying this case, I found other instances in which scientists and Native Americans have effectively collaborated regarding the study of early human remains. When a 9,700-year-old skeleton was found in Alaska, U.S. Forest Service archaeologists there consulted with local tribes.The Indians allowed them to study the remains, understanding the bones would be repatriated for re-burial at some point.

Another partial skeleton, about 8,000 years old, was found in Colorado. A representative of the Southern Ute tribe worked on the excavations. Archaeologists were allowed over two years to study the remains, after which they were returned to the Utes for re-burial.

I believe Kennewick Man, or the Ancient One, should be studied further. He presents us with an opportunity to learn more than ever before about the tapestry of human threads which weave the history of this land. If this individual is buried right away, a wealth of understanding will be buried with him. Ideally, scientists and Native Americans can work together amicably to develop reasonable time frames for research data to be gathered.

Minimal disruption to the bones should be assured. And after Kennewick Man has told his story, he should be respectfully returned to the earth.

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