The Bone Battle (Kennewick Man)
It all began on a beautiful Washington day. Two hydroplane spectators made a chance discovery of a skull partially embedded in the sediment of the Columbia River. They immediately called the sheriff who in turn informed the Kennewick police. Upon further inspection, the police came across more bones. Eventually, anthropologist James Chatters was sent to investigate. A seemingly simple case soon escalated into a massively complex situation as early analysis of the bones put the approximate age of the remains at over 8,400 years before present. In this archaeological instance, scientists were not only faced with barriers of the past, but also with obstacles of the present as multiple Native American tribes stepped forward claiming ancestry of the bones. As soon as the Kennewick Man find was made public, many Native American tribes and groups began to file suit for repatriation under NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) regulations. Five Columbia Basin tribes, consisting of the Umatilla, Nez Perce, Yakama, Colville, and Wanapum filed a claim to the remains. Four of the tribes, the Umatilla, the Nez Perce, the Yakama, and the Wanapum, would like to rebury the remains. Armond Minthorn, a Umatilla t
A court decision dealing with ownership of the bones has not yet been reached and nondestructive analysis of the bones have not been able to provide exclusive evidence as to the true ancestry of Kennewick Man as of yet. This being said, I also believe that one must respect the rights of a people's culture and past. Our religious beliefs, culture, and our adopted policies and procedures tell us that this individual must be reburied as soon as possible. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**WORKS CITED"Anthropologist's Views about Native Americans, NAGPRA, and Kennewick Man", http://www. The controversy sparked is one dealing with not only the scientific, but also with the moral and ethical facets of man. " This act has greatly affected North American archaeology. "Introduction to the Exhibit", http://www.
Common topics in this essay:
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Acceptance Essays
