We have previously discussed the controversy over Kennewick man, the 9,000 year old skeleton found along the bank of the Columbia River eighteen years ago. Putting aside the fact that the date of the skeleton once again contradicts those who believe that the Earth is only a few thousand years old, it also represented a major scientific find. Scientists stated that the skeleton did not appear to be Native American, but Native American groups insisted that under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) they had a right to take possession of the skeleton and stop any further scientific work at the site. To the astonishment of many (particularly in the academic world), Army Corps of Engineers sided with the tribe and fought to give the non-Native American skeleton to the local tribe and dumped 2 million pounds of dirt and planted several thousand trees on top of Kennewick Man’s burial site to stop further scientific work. Now, the results are in. Kennewick Man is not Native American but the Corps is continuing to defend its absurd position and its obstruction of important scientific work.
Forensic anthropologist Doug Owsley of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History believe that KM was an immigrant who traveled in boats from Polynesia, along the coasts of Japan, Russia, Alaska, Canada and eventually up the Columbia River. There may be more evidence in the area but the Corps has succeeded in destroying what could be unique evidence of the earliest groups in North America. It is the triumph of thoughtless bureaucrats over science.
Scientists had to take the Corps to court and the Corps was criticized by U.S. Magistrate Judge John Jelderks of having “prejudged the outcome” to side with Indian tribes. The Corps and the tribes were proven wrong. However, the Corps is still saying that it acted correctly. Bizarrely, the Corps says that it does not matter if this is not a Native American gravesite under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Jennifer Richman of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stated “We are very sensitive to the facts the tribes view the remains as being very significant. The tribes view the remains as their ancestor.” That is quite a subjective standard. It would turn the Act into de facto ownership of any skeleton and accompanying artifacts found in such areas. The tribe was wrong. Its “view” of the KM being an ancestor is baseless. Yet, the Corps would reject all science and logic in barring scientists from working on such critical sites.
Kennewick Man is currently being kept away from the public in Seattle’s Burke Museum — safe from the hands of the U.S. Corps of Engineers.
Source: Smithsonian
I’d say it’s good to know that scientists keep their minds open to new evidence when it is uncovered/discovered…provides new insights on a subject.
I think so too. Now if we can just be that open minded about conflicting evidence of AGW or conflicting theories about climate modeling.
DBQ,
What kind of cultural connections do you have to your ancestors who lived on this earth 10 to 15 thousand years ago?
Paul,
Some people have claimed that Kennewick Man is definitely not Native American. Scientists are saying they aren’t sure. Yes, I am saying the science on this subject is not settled. Do you have a problem with that? I’d say it’s good to know that scientists keep their minds open to new evidence when it is uncovered/discovered…provides new insights on a subject.
Elaine- I thought that all science was settled.
@ Elaine
Define Native American if you would. I’m curious what you think that means.
What the scientists are quite sure of is that there is no cultural connection between remains that are 10 to 15 thousand years old and the people who are currently claiming that this is their direct ancestor. There have been many movements of tribes, cultures and peoples in the ensuing thousands of years.
If it were a few hundred or even one thousand….they might be able to make that claim.
We will never know though, won’t we if the scientists are prevented from studying because of current politically correct stifling.
Paul,
That’s the point that I’ve been attempting to make. Scientists aren’t sure about Kennewick Man. Some have claimed that he is definitely NOT Native American. It seems that scientists haven’t come to a consensus on that yet.
Elaine – are you telling me the science is not settled? Horrors!!!
show = so
Kennewick man and Naia are interesting. Fabulous finds. Hope there is continuing study of Kennewick man.
http://anthropology.net/2008/09/04/peopling-of-the-americas-eva-de-naharon-a-13600-year-old-skeleton-found-near-tulum-mexico/
12,000-Year-Old Skeleton From Mexico Is ‘Extraordinary’ Find, May Solve Mystery Of Native American Origin
http://www.ibtimes.com/12000-year-old-skeleton-mexico-extraordinary-find-may-solve-mystery-native-american-origin-1585054
Excerpt:
But the question that has been raised is: Why does Naia, who, like the Kennewick Man — another ice age skeleton found in Washington state in 1996 — look so different from today’s Native Americans? Naia has a prominent forehead, flat nose and outward-jutting teeth, which researchers say is about the opposite of what modern Native Americans look like.
“This is the first time that we have genetic data from a skeleton that exhibits these distinctive skull and facial features,” Deborah Bolnick, an anthropological geneticist at the University of Texas at Austin and one of the study’s co-authors, told National Geographic.
Researchers argue that any discrepancies in appearance are most likely the result of relatively recent and rapid evolution, rather than the outcome of two, separate human migrations.
‘Missing Link’ Skeleton May Solve Mystery of First Americans
http://www.livescience.com/45632-native-american-missing-link-found.html
Excerpt:
Naia reveals that despite any differences in the face and skull between the earliest Americans and modern Native Americans, they were, in fact, significantly related, probably deriving from the same gene pool.
“Naia is a missing link filling in a gap of knowledge we had about the earliest Americans and modern Native Americans,”lead study author James Chatters, owner of Applied Paleoscience, an archaeological and paleontological consulting firm in Bothell, Washington, told Live Science. Chatters is best known for his work on Kennewick Man, an ancient skeleton found in Kennewick, Washington, in 1996, whose origins were debated, because his skull was markedly different from those of modern Native Americans.
Kennewick Man is not Native American in the sense that he is physically related to the existing current Amerindians. Physical anthropology determines that he is of a different genotype. Likely related to the proto Ainu which are a Caucasoid people who lived 40K or longer ago and who are also believe to be related to the Australian Aboriginies who are also classified as a Caucasoid type of homo sapiens.
In addition the time frame from the geological evidence at the site where the Kenewick Man was discovered puts him about ten thousand of years earlier than the indian tribes who are attempting to claim him as an ancestor. Those Indians are relative newcomers in the big scheme of human migrations.
There are no cultural artifacts that tie the two together, the are not anatomically similar and there are thousands of years separating the two.
There are many instances of remains being found in the West and Southwest of humans who greatly predate the current Indian tribes. http://cabrillo.edu/~crsmith/spiritman.html This is not an isolated instance. There are many more. It is very likely that there were many waves of migration from multiple groups and multiple areas to the North American Continent. However, hiding and destroying the prehistoric remains will only make it harder to discover the fascinating history.
Just because he or any other died in the last 15 K years doesn’t mean that he is the ancestor of current Indians anymore than finding a Neanderthal skeleton in France makes the French direct descendants of Neanderthals. 🙂
They, the current Indians, who displaced the ones before them and so on, do not want to have any claims that there might have been some other entities before them and want to suppress the scientific investigation of human migration into North America.
Hello, Naia! 12,000-Year-Old Girl’s DNA Reveals First Americans’ Roots
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/hello-naia-12-000-year-old-girls-dna-reveals-first-n105841
Excerpt:
The genetic verdict was the clincher: Mitochondrial DNA extracted from one of Naia’s teeth confirmed a common genetic lineage with the ancient Beringians and modern-day Native Americans.
“What this study is presenting for the first time is the evidence that Paleoamericans with those distinctive features can be directly tied to the same source population as contemporary Native Americans,” said Deborah Bolnick, an anthropologist at the University of Texas at Austin who helped with the genetic analysis.
Such findings suggest that the physical differences between Paleoamericans and Native Americans are due to population changes that took place in Beringia and the Americas, and are not the result of separate migrations. That scenario meshes with the prevailing view about the First Americans — so much so that some anthropologists wonder whether the Science study breaks all that much new ground.
Elaine –
This is sciency talk for I don’t have the damndest idea. No other group has recent and rapid evolution, show why should this group?
Ancient girl’s skeleton changes scientist’s mind on human migration
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023615630_oldestskeletonxml.html
Excerpt:
After the bruising battle over Kennewick Man died down, Jim Chatters kept a low profile.
As the first scientist to study the skeleton unearthed in Eastern Washington almost two decades ago, Chatters was embroiled in a controversy over race and cultural identity stirred up by the 9,500-year-old bones.
His assertion that the mystery man didn’t look anything like modern Native Americans infuriated Northwest Tribes, who consider the remains those of an ancestor and sued for the right to rebury what they call the Ancient One.
Now the Bothell archaeologist is back in the spotlight with another set of prehistoric bones, along with DNA evidence that helps resolve a long-standing puzzle about the first Americans. The findings also suggest — but don’t prove — that the tribes may have been right about Kennewick Man all along.
Ancient girl’s skeleton changes scientist’s mind on human migration
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023615630_oldestskeletonxml.html
Excerpt:
After the bruising battle over Kennewick Man died down, Jim Chatters kept a low profile.
As the first scientist to study the skeleton unearthed in Eastern Washington almost two decades ago, Chatters was embroiled in a controversy over race and cultural identity stirred up by the 9,500-year-old bones.
His assertion that the mystery man didn’t look anything like modern Native Americans infuriated Northwest Tribes, who consider the remains those of an ancestor and sued for the right to rebury what they call the Ancient One.
Now the Bothell archaeologist is back in the spotlight with another set of prehistoric bones, along with DNA evidence that helps resolve a long-standing puzzle about the first Americans. The findings also suggest — but don’t prove — that the tribes may have been right about Kennewick Man all along.
Karen,
Can you provide an excerpt from the Smithsonian article that supports the claim that it has been proven beyond any doubt that the Kennewick Man was definitely NOT Native American and that his closest relatives are Polynesians?
Elaine – if you actually read the article, the Kennewick Man is related to the Anni people of Japan (he closest relatives). The article is a fascinating read. What the contention is is that one group came over about the time of the Kennewick Man but they have all died out, which matches data from the Southwest.
The are no people “native” to America. Indians came around the “Alaskan Land Bridge” and were Asian. The best description of them would be “undocumented,” per American Law, or the common and technical reference of “illegal alien.”
This usage is as “stupid” as Jonathan Gruber’s obfuscation.
Elaine:
Yes, they have determined he was NOT Native American. His closes living relatives are the Polynesians.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/kennewick-man-finally-freed-share-his-secrets-180952462/?no-ist=&no-cache=&page=1&page1=
What a tragic loss – the destruction of the site.
Although the Kennewick man was NOT a Native American, he probably WAS an ancestor of current Native Americans, unless he was killed immediately and did not procreate any line that survived.
What an amazing story he must have had.
Regardless, this was a typically absurd and unreasonable bureaucratic mistake.
Karen – this was deliberate, it was not a mistake.
Is it a proven fact that Kennewick is not Native American?
Elaine – I am a Native American. I am not sure about the Kenniwick Man. The challenge is to connect him to the current tribes in the area, which they cannot. For instance, the Apache and Navajo originally come from Canada and were driven into Arizona by the Comanche who were tougher than they were. There is no evidence that they arrived until after the Spanish. On the other hand, the Pima and the Papago are descendants of the Hohokam who were in Arizona in the 1300s. Still, there are tribes that predate them, back some 8000 years or more. They have no current descendants.
Michael Haz,
Did Asians migrate to Asia from another continent? What about Europeans?