Current Event: Kennewick Man Comes Home

U.S. President Barack Obama recently signed a bill ordering the return of an ancient human skeleton known as Kennewick Man to representatives of local Native American groups for reburial. The nearly complete skeleton was found by two college students on the banks of the Columbia River in south-central Washington in 1996. Scientists called in to examine the skeleton sent a bone sample to a radiocarbon laboratory for dating. The lab results determined that Kennewick Man lived between 8,500 and 9,500 years ago. The scientists determined that the skeleton was that of a Paleo-Indian. Paleo-Indians were among the earliest people to inhabit the Western Hemisphere. Several Native American groups from the area where the skeleton was discovered requested that the skeleton be returned for proper reburial. Many Native Americans believe the excavation of burials and analysis of remains to be disrespectful, and that doing so disrupts the spirits of the dead. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 requires institutions receiving federal money to return human remains and grave items to Native American groups if the groups can prove their “cultural affiliation” to the remains. In 2000, the U.S. Department of the Interior determined that Kennewick Man was a Native American and would be returned without further study to the Indian groups that claimed him. A group of archaeologists challenged this decision in court. In 2002, a federal court ruled that the skeleton should not be returned and could be further studied. In 2004, Native American groups ended all attempts to appeal the ruling, allowing scientists to keep the skeleton. In 2015, new genetic evidence proved that Kennewick Man was closely related to Native Americans in the Washington region. In 2016, officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers acknowledged the cultural affiliation of Kennewick Man. The bill signed by President Obama orders the skeleton to be transferred to state archaeologists in Washington. They will work with local Native American nations, who will rebury the remains according to traditional customs within 90 days.

The exceptionally well-preserved skeleton of Kennewick Man is represented by nearly 300 bones and bone fragments. Credit: © Chip Clark, Smithsonian Institution

Objective:

Prehistoric people are human beings who lived before the invention of writing, which occurred about 5,500 years ago. The period before writing is called prehistory, and people who lived during this time are known as prehistoric people. The first human beings lived about 2 million years ago. They descended from even earlier ancestors, small humanlike creatures who walked with an erect (upright) posture. Scientists call all members of the human lineage hominins. The scientific study of prehistoric people began during the 1700’s. As fossils were collected, scholars began to assemble a picture of early people. Today, many kinds of scientists work together to learn about prehistoric people. Scientists called paleoanthropologists study human physical and cultural development. Evidence of prehistoric people—such as fossils, tools, and other remains—is rare and often fragmented. Paleoanthropologists must base their theories on this limited evidence. As a result, scientists cannot yet present a detailed picture of early human life. Over time, new discoveries can provide evidence to prove or disprove previous theories. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore Kennewick Man and other prehistoric human fossil discoveries.

Words to know:

• American Indian
• Anthropology
• Archaeology
• DNA
• Evolution
• Fossil
• Human being
• Kennewick Man
• Paleo-Indians
• Prehistoric people
• Radiocarbon

Discussion topics:

1. Ask your students if they can name other American Indian (Native American) groups. (Students might name any of the many groups cited in the “American Indian” article’s related information section “Indian groups.” Note that many scholars do not refer to the Inuit, Aleuts, and Yuit as Indians. Native Hawaiians are also strongly opposed to being called Native Americans.)

2. Ask your students if they can name any other famous prehistoric human fossil discoveries. (Students might say Chauvet Cave paintings, Java fossils, Lascaux Cave paintings, Lucy, Peking fossils.)

3. Ask your students to debate, “Human remains and grave items belonging to Native Americans should be returned to Native American groups.”

4. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the Prehistoric Human Fossil Discoveries timeline. (Students may wish to use World Book’s “Prehistoric people” article for help.)