Information AboutKennewick Man |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT KENNEWICK MAN | |
| archaeology of the americas | |
| archaeological sites in washington | |
| art and cultural repatriation | |
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The remains became embroiled in debates about the relationship between Native American religious rights and Archaeology . Based on the Native American Graves Protection And Repatriation Act , five Native American groups (the Nez Perce , Umatilla , Yakama , Wannapum , and Colville ) claimed the remains as theirs, to be Buried by traditional means. Only Umatillas continued further court proceeding. In February 2004 the United States Court Of Appeals For The Ninth Circuit ruled that a cultural link between the tribes and the skeleton was not met, opening the door for more scientific study. In July 2005 , scientists from around the United States convened in Seattle for ten days to study the remains, making many detailed measurements, and determined the cause of death. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE The remains were initially given to Forensic Anthropologists , who studied them until it was determined that they were of a man who lived between 5,000 and 9,500 years ago. He was in his 30s or 40s, had a healed broken arm and a healed broken rib, and a 2.2-inch spear point was lodged in his hip (which did not kill him). Prior to detailed scientific analysis, a digital reconstruction of the skull revealed what some called Caucasoid features, although at least one of the early studies concluded the skull was most like the present-day people of New Guinea . Press coverage frequently noted a similarity in appearance to Shakespear ean and Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart . Further research, however, has shown that Kennewick Man is possibly not Caucasian at all. Rather, some researchers now suggest he most closely resembles Polynesian or Ainu People s. If confirmed, this would lend support to a theory that an important migration route lay along the North Pacific shoreline from Asia to America during a time when inland routes were blocked by ice. DNA analysis, which some Native American groups oppose, could help resolve this mystery, should there be enough left intact to extract from the bones. All PaleoIndian remains tested to date have been found to possess the same mitochondrial haplogroups as do modern Native Americans. Craniometric analyses have been somewhat contradictory, with some studies having linked PaleoIndians to modern Native Americans, some to European and Southeast Asian populations, and with some finding no close affinity to any modern peoples. The history of the Peopling Of The Americas by humans, once thought to have occurred solely by Migration across the Bering Strait Land Bridge during the most recent Ice Age , has become increasingly untenable in view of the confirmation of sites throughout the Americas older than the last ice-free corridor available to migrants. OWNERSHIP CONTROVERSY 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 to an Indian tribe can be established, the affiliated tribe can claim them. The Umatilla tribe of Native Americans requested custody of the remains, wanting to bury them according to tribal tradition. However, their claim was contested by researchers hoping to study the remains; if Kennewick Man has no direct connection to modern-day native tribes, then NAGPRA should not apply. The Umatilla argue that their Origin Belief s say that their people have been present on the lands since the dawn of time, so a government holding that Kennewick Man is not Native American is tantamount to the government's rejecting their beliefs. 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 were unable to show any evidence of Kinship . The tribes dropped their lawsuits for custody. In April (which cannot be positively assigned to any contemporary tribal group) to the Métis , who only came into being as a consequence of European contact, yet constitute a distinct cultural entity. The remains are now at the Burke Museum at the University Of Washington , where they were deposited in October 1998, but they are legally the property of the U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers , since they were found on land belonging to the Corps. SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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