Studying the Kennewick Man

Research on the Kennewick Man continues.

Two college students stumbled across the skeleton on the banks of the Columbia River in 1996, and the remains quickly became the focus of controversy.

The federal government and several Native American tribes insisted the bones be reburied under a law meant to stop desecration of Indian graves. Eight scientists, including Owsley, sued and won the right to study what is one of the oldest, most-complete sets of human remains ever discovered in North America.

"This is a very important skeleton," he said. "You can count on one hand the number of skeletons this old." The skull's dimensions are very different from existing and historic Native American populations, suggesting the Northwest might have been colonized at different times by people from different parts of Asia, anthropologists say.

This has been a very interesting case to follow, as it reveals a very dramatic clash between science, religion, and government, with each side taking every opportunity to stick their foot in their mouths and offend the others.

A coalition of Northwest tribes argued that they had custody, as the skeleton appeared to predate historical times he must have been one of their ancestors, and therefore deserved full burial rights and honors - without delay. Scientists weren't so sure - the body showed physical differences from members of any of the Northwest Indian tribes, and they wanted to know why. And government workers wanted to please.

The result was a spectacular train-wreck of ethics. Seeking to make the Indian tribes happy, the US Army Corps of Engineers (which had jurisdiction since it owned the land where the skeleton was found) made preparations to hand over the remains to the tribes and destroyed the site where the remains were found (along with any forensic/archeological evidence that may still have been buried there). The scientists sued. Suit and counter-suit were filed; allegations of racism and political correctness raged; and debates over seperation of church and state ensued. After eight years of legal arguments, the courts finally forced a resolution, and gave the scientists the right to study.

There really were no good guys in this ugly mess. Somehow, there has to be a way to learn about our ancient past - information all of us have an interest in, regardless of race - and do so with appropriate respect. How, then, is the balance struck? There appears to be no plan or compromise to guide the process should a future discovery of another skeleton occur.