Mysterious Kennewick Man is a Native American, study finds

A DNA test has finally laid to rest 20 years of hot debate: The 8,400-year-old Kennewick Man is indeed Native American.

According to the Seattle Times, scientists at the University of Chicago validated findings from last summer by at least three lines of evidence just this month. It has been confirmed that the Kennewick Man’s remains were more similar to modern Native Americans than any other living people—and the DNA from one of his finger bones sealed the deal, after being compared to saliva of modern Colville tribal members.

Now, his repatriation process has, at very last, begun. In the past, the area he was land of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, but which was also visited by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Wanapum Band, the Yakama Nation, and the Nez Perce. All five have claimed him as an ancestor—and now, they are looking to work together to rebury him.

He is likely to be reburied as close as possible as to where he was found, said Rex Buck Jr., leader of the Wanapum people, to the Times.

“Obviously we are hearing an acknowledgment from the Corps of what we have been saying for 20 years,” said JoDe Goudy, chairman of the Yakama Nation. “Now we want to collectively do what is right, and bring our relative back for reburial.”

Ken who?

The Kennewick Man, as known as the Ancient One by some Native American tribes, is one of the oldest and most complete skeletons ever found in North America. He was stumbled upon in 1996 on land owned by the Army Corps of Engineers in Kennewick, Washington—quickly leading to a highly controversial legal war between the U.S. government, scientists who wished to study him, and Native American tribes who claimed him as an ancestor and wished to give him a proper reburial.

The big problem here was this: In 1990, a federal law known as the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was passed. NAGPRA dictates that certain cultural materials and all human remains of Native Americans found on federal land (like the land owned by the Army Corps of Engineers), tribal land, or in museums or repositories that receive federal funding are owned and thus under the control of the relevant Native American tribe.

This law was in part reparations for past wrongs—scientists within the past centuries have committed some horrible acts in the name of knowledge, not limited to decapitating Native American corpses in order to have the Native American skulls for study and display.

But even the fact that Native American remains were more likely to be treated as specimens than former human beings, there were many different religious and cultural beliefs of various tribes regarding the treatment of ancestral remains that were being ignored and violated.

In short, NAGPRA came down to three things: Communication between scientists and Native American tribes, respect for human remains, and the re-allotment of power back to the hands of tribes, not just scientists.

But who is he related to?

But with the Kennewick Man, the big question was: If he is so ancient, is he actually an ancestor of living Native Americans?

According to NAGPRA, he is—items and remains dating to before 1492 (including any Viking finds) are in fact Native American property, usually with the tribe in closest proximity to the site of discovery granted ownership if DNA cannot be established.

However, the scientists, who were keen to study such a rare find (bones do hold extraordinary amounts of knowledge after all), argued that since he was so old, he was not related to any living Native American tribe—and, after years of legal battles, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit agreed, ruling that NAGPRA did not apply for the Kennewick Man. Scientific studies then began in earnest.

Of course, there are many good reasons to study human remains—they are often a voice of the dead, providing us insight into things like what they ate, where they came from, and who they’re related to. And the Kennewick Man was one of the rarest finds ever made, so scientists were reasonably excited to study him. However, the five tribes involved did not agree—and now, under NAGPRA, they get the final say.

“In keeping with our traditions and our law, he has been displaced, and we continue to offer our prayers and our hopes for a safe journey back to the land again,” said Chuck Sams, spokesman for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

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Image credit: Smithsonian Institution

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