Who owns America’s history?

On the morning of July 28, 1996, two men enjoying the annual hydroplane races held on the Columbian River in Washington State unearthed a skull and a nearly complete skeleton 10 feet off the rivers shore line. (1) The anthropologist, DR James Chatters who first studied the remains has dubbed the skeleton “Kennewick Man”. The Native Americans refer to him as “The Ancient One”. The remains are that of a man who lived between 9,200-9,600 years ago. (2) This amazing discovery is now at the center of a national controversy over the interpretation of the Native American Graves Protection and Reparation Act, also known as NAGRPA.

NAGPRA applies when human remains and funerary objects are recovered from federal or Indian land. It states that ownership or control of Native American human remains or objects shall be given to lineal descendents of the Native American or Indian tribe on whose land such objects or remains were discovered or Indian tribe which has the closest cultural affiliation and states a claim for such remains or objects to the study of the remains. (3) A coalition of five Native American tribes claim Kennewick M

Our government has a long-standing policy on changing the rights granted to these people on a whim. The stigma this case is carrying effects all archaeologists, even those who over the years have come to greatly respect the Native Americans as a people and have made great strives in working with them side by side regarding the field of archaeology. What is need is sensitivity training not only for future scientists in the fields involving the study of humanistic anthropology but for those who practice with in this realm now”. (18)

When Kennewick Man was discovered on land managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, NAGPRA applied to the remains. When 14c dating (carbon dating) determined the age of the bones, the coalition of tribes in the Columbian River Basin requested the remains be returned to them due to cultural affiliation. The Department of Interior determined Kennewick Man was Native American and ordered his return to the tribes. The legal challenge put forth by the scientist’s forces the coalition to prove their cultural affiliation. Under NAGPRA “cultural affiliation” is described as the relationship between a shared group identity that can reasonably traced between a modern group and an identifiable earlier group. (3) In essence the coalition must prove relationship to Kennewick Man through geography, historical, folklore, oral archaeological or linguistic evidence or expert opinion. In essence what has happened here is that both sides are now dissecting how to use the “official” wording of NAGPRA to their own advantage. The scientific community argues whether the term “Native Americans” can be correctly applied to all remains dating prior to 1492. The argument stems from the belief of some researchers that the term “Native Americans” is too narrow and it fails to take into consideration that prehistoric peoples may not resemble any modern people. It also claims that this ignores the possibility of Viking explorers, Portuguese and Japanese fisherman who are commonly believed to have lived in North America prior to 1492. The claim is, these people could have entered the Native American gene pool. (12) The scientists also hope that the NAGPRA definition of “a major find” applies here.

Vice chairman Jerry Menick, of the tribal council of the Yakama Indian Nation responded by stating, “Let the anthropologists study their own bones”. (6). This set in motion what has become a showdown between the quest for scientific knowledge and respect for the religious beliefs of the Mid-Columbia’s Indians. To fully understand the controversy over the Kennewick Man we must take a look at some historical and archaeological accounts.

This also empowered Native Americans with the choice of how their artifacts are treated such as choosing to have relics returned to their proper place or work with museums or educational facilities and allows the artifacts to be displayed to the public. In this manner, Native Americans can influence what scientific research is being done and who is doing it. NAGPRA recognizes that the interests of Native Americans and science must be balanced, the statute provides for completion of scientific research of “ major benefit to the United States” prior to repartition.

Human bones are studied by archaeologists and anthropologists to provide evidence on how ancient peoples lived. In essence the bones become a “time capsule” that allows scientists to determine a person’s size, diet, injuries they may have suffered and any diseases they may have had. This allows them to make an educated guess as to the person’s lifestyle. (7) Also studying the skull may also suggest ancestral origins. This is known as cranial classification. It is this study that has raised so many issues between scientists and Native Americans. It is believed by many that the early cranial studies done on Kennewick Man gave rise to racial stereotyping while others refer to the references made by

Some topics in this essay:
Native American, Native Americans, Archaeology NAGPRA, ARPA ARPA, American Archaeologists, James Chatters, Vermillion Accord, native american, native americans, American Indian, Indian Nation, Japan Polynesians, human remains, american people, burial sites, native american people, cultural affiliation, scientific research, society american, religious beliefs, scientific community, native american remains, dr james chatters, native american graves, american graves protection,