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Tuesday Kelsch
Professor Wiebe
Anthropology
March 5, 2015
Native Burial Rights and Skeletal Remains
We are able to gain numerous amounts of information from skeletal remains that have
been found across the world. Finding new skeletal pieces is almost always an opportunity for us
to learn about the humans and creatures of our past, which could be extremely beneficial to our
future. Studying the skeletons found all around the world we are able to identify and understand
a little bit more about the lives they might have led. Understanding their past lives is a great
beginning to us understanding our future. Sparking one of the most highly debated skeletal
remains of all time was the discovery of the Kennewick man. Found in Kennewick, Washington
this skeleton dates more than nine thousand years old (Preston) . The National American Graves
Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) believe the skeletal remains to be a part of Native
American ancestry therefore they desire that the remains are returned to their resting place.
While the Army Corps of Engineers would like to further study the remains to see if they can
identify any new information form the Kennewick man. Although, the skeletal remains may have
an ancestry to these Native American tribes it is still extremely beneficial for us to gain
information from the investigation of the Kennewick man.
The Kennewick man was found in 1996 accidentally by two college students who were
wading in the Columbia River of Kennewick, Washington. This has created one of the highest

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debated skeletons of all time. This middle aged skeleton reaching 175 cm tall with the point of a
spear lodged in his hip is an extraordinary find (Kennewick Man Debate Heats up). This
particular skeleton is one of the few skeletons found in the western hemisphere who have few to
no common traits to the Native Americans of today. His traits include a long face, low brain pan,
and a projecting nose. Most of his traits differentiate him form the characteristics of humans
today. The United States Army Corps of Engineers obtained the skeleton in accordance with the
Archaeological Resources Protection Act (APRA) from the two college students to begin
research, testing and studying on the Kennewick man. They found some fascinating facts about
him. The team dedicated to studying the Kennewick man believes that he was originally buried,
but eventually got uncovered by the currents of the Columbia River. They also believe the
purpose for the stained bone color was that he was painted with a red dye before his burial. These
are all interesting facts that we can learn from the research of the Kennewick man. Researching
this skeleton we are able to comprehend what life for the humans of the past was like. This is
extraordinary; having the opportunity to recognize what the world was like before we got here is
outstanding. With the permission to study this skeleton scientists and archeologists are allowed to
predict what the past was similar to. Joe Powell, a Physical anthropologist and a member of the
Interior Department team of the University of Mexico, took Kennewicks scull measurements
and compared them to about three hundred different populations, but could find no similarity.
The significance was that the Kennewick man did not belong to any group of populations found
on the earth today. This is a huge step in the uncovering of Kennewicks origins, whether or not
he belonged to a Native American tribe or if he belongs to a different group of people all on his
own.

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The investigation of the Kennewick man also allows scientists and archeologists to
improve on their theories of the human race. One theory brought forth is that the hemisphere was
populated by a massive migration of people from Siberia to Alaska across an Ice Age land, which
is now the Bering Sea. This theory is beginning to be questioned because of the new findings
brought forth by the Kennewick man. Due to the fact that the skeleton shares no characteristics
to any of the population groups it supports the new theory that there must have been more than
one migration movement to this hemisphere. This shifts the theories of scientists and
anthropologists alike. They are learning numerous new things that contradict what they had
initially believed with the emergence of the Kennewick man. This is great because we are
continuously bettering our understanding of the past. With Kennewicks prominent nose and long
face scientist are begging to wonder if he could have been associated with Europeans because
they share these common traits. It is absolutely amazing that they are able to get that much
information out of a skeleton that is nearly nine thousand years old. With the discovery of this
skeleton they are endlessly questioning who got to this hemisphere first. Yet, it is still difficult to
predict the origin of the Kennewick man because most of the groups living on the earth today
could have possibly been non-existing a few thousand years ago. That makes it challenging for
scientist to officially predict were the Kennewicks origins come from. With further
technological advancement and research we may yet be able to discover who the Kennewick
man truly is. That is why it is detrimental for the skeletal remains of this man to be preserved and
not be reburied into the Earth. For if there was any advancement in our technology the
Kennewick man would be the ideal skeleton to begin investigations.
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is an act that
states the rights of Native Americans to their ancestral remains (Lindsay). Be it funeral remains,

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sacred remains, or cultural remains they all belong to the Native descendants. NAGPRA is also
in support and protection of all native burial grounds. Their goal is to protect Native American
burial grounds, so that the sacred grounds do not get dug up and disturbed. What the scientists
have done by digging up the Kennewick man is seen as disrespectful to the Native Americans.
The Natives of the land of Washington believe that the Kennewick man rightfully belongs to
them, because it was found on their land. This is whats causing great debates over the newly
discovered skeleton. The Natives believe that they have a right to the skeleton and are using
NAGPRA to support their idea. They desire to put the skeleton back in his resting places. But
some find this to be absolutely absurd, having the opportunity to uncover an unknown truth is
very important to some. In this case the scientists, archeologist, and anthropologists all believe
that they should be able to conduct research on the skeleton. While the Natives believe that the
skeleton is a part of their history and it is not something that should be disturbed. Although, it is
said that the Kennewick man has no connections to the Confederate Tribes of the Umatilla Indian
Reservation they have gained information that they believe to be proof that the Kennewick man
belongs to them. The spokeswoman for the Native Tribe of the Umatilla Indian Reservation,
Deborah Croswell, has reported that the spear point, soil samples, and radiocarbon test have
clarified that the skeleton is Native American. But the scientists are not giving up that easy, they
are requiring the native groups to provide extensive amounts of information to prove that the
Kennewick man truly belongs to them before they return it to the Confederate Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian Reservation.
Gaining new information from the Kennewick man is an extremely outstanding thing. It
is incredible that one man found after thousands of years can still provide such mystifying
information. Regrettably for the Natives of the Umatilla Indian Reservation U.S. Magistrate John

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Jelderks announced that the scientists are allowed to conduct research on the Kennewick man
(Friends of Americas Past: The Kennewick Man Case: Judge Rules Scientists Can Study
Kennewick Man). Jelderks states that the skeletal remains have not been proven to relate to any
particular group and therefore does not belong to any particular group. Even though it is
incredibly disappointing for the Native Tribes to lose something that could have been a part of
their ancestry, I believe it will do good in the hands of the scientist. Having this new skeleton to
study the scientist will be able to further their knowledge on human origins for years to come.

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Works Cited
Conversations: Last Word on Kennewick Man? - Archaeology Magazine Archive.
N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2015
Friends of Americas Past: The Kennewick Man Case: Judge Rules Scientists Can
Study Kennewick Man. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
Kennewick Man Debate Heats up. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
Lindsay, Everett. NPS Archeology Program: The Native American Graves Protection
and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
Preston, Douglas. The Kennewick Man Finally Freed to Share His Secrets. n. pag.
Web. 8 Mar. 2015.