Kennewick Man

Examples of pathological conditions present in the Kennewick skeleton

Kennewick Man is the name for the remains of a prehistoric man found on a bank of the Columbia River near Kennewick, Washington, on July 28, 1996. The remains were initially given to forensic anthropologists, who studied them until it was determined that the remains were of a man who lived approximately 9000 years ago. A controversy emerged when an analysis of the bones' features suggested "caucasoid" descent. The history of the colonization of North America by humans, once thought to have occurred via a simple migration across the Bering Strait land bridge during the most recent ice age, has increasingly been revealed by archaeological evidence to be much more complex; multiple waves of humans have apparently made the journey, via different means and from different regions. Kennewick Man may be evidence of such a colonization wave.

According to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) signed into law by President George H. W. Bush in 1990, if human remains are found on federal lands and their cultural affiliation can be established, the bones must be returned to the affiliated tribe. The Umatilla Tribe of Native Americans then requested the remains back, wanting to bury them as per tribal tradition. However, their claim has been contested by researchers hoping to study the remains; if Kennewick Man has no direct connection to modern-day native tribes, then NAGPRA wouldn't apply. The remains are at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington.

On February 4, 2004, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel rejected the appeal of the Umatilla, Colville, Yakama, Nez Perce and other tribes on the grounds that they had not given any proof of kinship.

Kennewick Man

Further Reading

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