Kennewick Man Update

[CMD]

An important chapter in this emotionally charged story.

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019387577_bones10m.html

[rmartin]

Thanks for that Charlie. I have followed this story since its beginning. For those not familiar it is quite a saga.

[G10+]

look forward to reading it

[Bone2stone]

Both sides have their opinions and most of us have ours.
Whether the remains were of the indiginous cultures of the region is debatable. We all know that ancient cultures roamed throughout all of the Americas. To them the only barriers was the natural environment they encountered every day.
After all is said and done I feel the remains should be taken back to where it was found and placed back into the original wash away predicament it came from and let nature take it's course.
It would not be the first that went back from whince it came.
I have found three incomplete skeletons washing out and let the enevitable take them without recourse of doing anything at all.
It's all a matter of respect and leave the ancient dead for it's natural resolve.
Bone2stone

[G10+]

Havnt read this yet but i am fixing to! and agree with Bone, as far as the dead goes.

[rmartin]

Folks as I said in an earlier post this is indeed a saga. I couldn't find the link I was looking for but google Kennewick Man and read for yourself. Two guys found his skull on the Columbia River while watching boat races as I recall. After contacting the appropriate authorities the original autopsy concluded prehistoric but Caucasoid. After losing a court battle which prevented the Army Corp of Engineers from giving the remains back to NA's, the Corps basically destroyed the site to prevent any more excavation.

[painshill]

... and he had a Cascade point made from grey, igneous rock lodged in a healed wound to his pelvis!

[rmartin]

You are absolutely right Roger. Perino dates the Cascade to around 6000 B.C. but some think it could be older.

[cgode]

It's quite the story of a battle over ownership and the man's origin/ancestors. I did read somewhere that they carbon dated a piece of the skeleton and it came back at 9000 BP but that may be an older report that was disproved....not sure. Either way it places the remains well before any known Tribal affiliations however one of them claims lineage due to their ancestors being here "since the dawn of time".

[CMD]

I'm glad the scientists were able to extract what info they have and I hope the remains can be studied further. A shame opportunities to advance our knowledge of the continent's deep past get all tied up like this, IMHO.