Kennewick Man is one of the most complete ancient skeletons found to date. The discovery initiated scholarly and public debate of the legal and ethical implications of anthropological study of Native American human remains. The Kennewick Man controversy has called into question the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)’s ability to balance tribal, museum, and archaeological interest in ancient human remains.
Kennewick Man was found on July 28, 1996 below Lake Wallula, a section of the Columbia River, in Washington. As the owners of the land, the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE) had initial control of the remains. In early inspections Kennewick man was thought to be an early European settler because of the presence of Caucasoid traits. However the remains were determined to have an age of around 9,000 B.P., much older than any settler, suggesting that the remains could be Native American despite a lack of definitive Native-American characteristics (“McManamon”). Kennewick Man was on his way to the Smithsonian for further study when several tribes asserted claims under The Native American graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) to take control of the remains in order to rebury them. In response, COE halted any further study of the remains saying that the Department of the Interior and National Park Service, a federal agency involved with NAGPRA, had determined they were Native American and affiliated with one of the claimant tribes so they were to be handed over to an alliance of five tribes and bands (Umatilla, Yakama, Nez Perce, Wanapum and Colville) through NAGPRA (“United States”).
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is the primary federal law governing the righ...
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...oman and Kennewick Man." American Antiquity. 66.4 (2001): 565. Web. 9 Nov. 2011.
“Frequently Asked Questions.” National NAGPRA. US Department of the
Interior, Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
McManamon, F.P. “Kennewick Man.” Archaeology Program. US Department of the Interior, 9 Oct. 2007. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
United States. National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers. Federal Agency Implementation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Appendix G Two High-Profile Federal-Tribal Case Studies. Washington D.C.: , 2008. Web. .
Chatters, James C. "Kennewick Man." Newsletter of the American Anthropological Association. 2004: n. page. Web. 9 Nov. 2011.
Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology. Dir. Danielle Peck and Alex Seaborne. BBC Worldwide Americas, Inc., 1998. Film.
Whitney Battle-Baptiste, the author of Black Feminist Archaeology creates the framework of this book because as a Black woman who is interested in race, gender, and cultural views, believes that too often in mainstream archaeological theory, Black culture and the experiences of Black women and our families are overlooked and dismissed. Dr. Baptiste states her explanation on how joining Black Feminist Theory and archaeology in her projects provides a way to open a discussion between archaeologists, which is her intent. It also shows that “when archaeologists critically engage with a dialogue about the intersectionality of race and gender, we begin to see the deeper forms of oppression and how they affect the lives of marginalized populations.”.
The Royal Alberta Museum holds a sacred object of the First Nations groups of Alberta and Saskatchewan, the Manitou Stone. This sacred object has a vast history to the Aboriginals but also has much controversy that surrounds it. Hundreds of years ago the object was removed from its original spot and was moved back and forth across the Canada, eventually ending up in Edmonton at the Royal Alberta Museum. This sacred object was said to have many powers for the First Nations people and when it was taken it brought great hardship to the First Nations groups that believed in the power of the Manitou Stone. This is only the beginning of the issues that surround this sacred object. Many different Aboriginal groups claim to own the piece but no decision has been made as to where the object should be placed. With the Manitou Stone now in the Royal Alberta Museum issues arise about the proper housing of the item and whether or not it should be retained in a museum or if it should be on First Nations land. Where the Manitou Stone is placed brings many complications and struggles for the Aboriginal people that claim ownership of the sacred object. When researching this object I was initially unaware of the significance that a museum could have to groups of people and the struggles that this could bring to these groups. This paper will explore the significance of the stone, the various viewpoints on why the object was moved originally from Iron Creek, who claims ownership to the object, and whether or not a museum is the proper place for sacred objects like the Manitou Stone to be kept.
Kennewick Man has started and added to an immense saga about the ethics involved in excavating and studying the remains of other that passed away long and not so long ago. Kennewick man being one of the hottest topics of the media during the mid-nineties has proved to be one of the most trying ethical dilemmas of our time. An ethical dilemma as described by Kelley Ross Ph. D is a “conflict between the rightness or wrongness of the actions and the goodness or badness of the consequences of those actions” (www.friesien.com). In the case of the Kennewick man the coalition of the tribes are trying to do what is best for their culture and belief by having the Kennewick man buried and the scientists who want to study this strange humanoid that has shown up on the banks of the Columbia River and are acting how they believe this should be handled, with careful study and the need to find the knowledge that this skeleton can provide about America nine millennia ago; and here is the problem that has been floating around this case for little over a decade.
Corbett, B. (1999). Last call in Pine Ridge For the Lakota’s in White Clay, Nebraska, death is on the house. Retrieved February 6, 2005, from http://ishgooda.org/oglala/whitcla1.htm
The implementation of the NAGPRA has provoked a ranging conflict in interest between two groups, the scientists on one hand and the Native American tribes on the other. As expressed by Burt, scientists have held that the skeletal remains are a source of information that helps in relating the early and the new world (304). They argue that understanding the human evolution is beneficial to the modern communities as they are able to appreciate their history and origin. Conversely, the Native American tribes are of the views that preserving human remains prevents their spirits from resting. Unrest of the spirits may bring misfortune on the current and future generations. In terms of learning their history, the Native Americans bel...
Robbins Burling, David F. Armstrong, Ben G. Blount, Catherine A. Callaghan, Mary Lecron Foster, Barbara J. King, Sue Taylor Parker, Osamu Sakura, William C. Stokoe, Ron Wallace, Joel Wallman, A. Whiten, Sherman Wilcox and Thomas Wynn. Current Anthropology, Vol. 34, No. 1 (Feb., 1993), pp. 25-53
She pressured Congress to increase funding of the NCAI’s educational goals while obtaining government documents that discussed the state of Native American assistance programs. Harjo continued her work to repatriate sacred artifacts from museums back to their true owners during this time. She joined together hundreds of other Native American leaders to demand national reform and legislation to protect these items.Weston & Harjo, 2010 Their success resulted in the National Museum of the American Indian Act of 1989 and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990.WIMN,
Patricia K. Ouranda published a manuscript in 1926 entitled The Menominee Indians: A History. This book covers the innumerable conflicts between the Menominee tribe and the federal government, other tribes, and itself, and invariably references the grandson of the Great Chief, Reginald Oshkosh. While the text refers to Chief Oshkosh the Brave with active language, such as stating he “ascended” to his position, “earned his title”, and “gained prestige within the tribe”, the language used to describe Reginald Oshkosh starkly contrasts the spirited language. The only characterization attributed to Reginald is his “quiet ability to confound those who asked him foolish questions”, and twice more is his “quiet” and “unassuming” nature commented upon.
In Minnesota’s Cottonwood County, Jeffers Petroglyphs stands on rose-colored Sioux quartzite overlooking tallgrass prairies and the Little Cottonwood River. The site is a sacred and spiritual location that has preserved centuries worth of history through images carved on rock surfaces, called petroglyphs. The Minnesota Historical Society and the Indian Advisory Committee along with elders and other members from the “Cheyenne, Ioway, Dakota, Lakota, and Ojibwe tribes, whose ancestors lived and traveled in the prairie-lake region [for the last 350 years], along with the Oto, Ponca, and Omaha,” have all been working together to preserve Jeffers Petroglyphs since 1966 (Connolly). For many Natives, Jeffers Petroglyphs holds cultural and historic knowledge as well as evidence of the presence of Natives living on the land as far back as 5, 000 - 7,000 years ago.
The discussion of who built these mounds reflects the social and historical context of the development of archaeology in the Americas as it illustrates the changes in European views and thoughts over time, in this case of the American Indians.
Sioux as told through John G. Neihardt, an Indian boy then a warrior, and Holy Man
Kathryn book Life in the Pueblo is based on excavations that she did at Lizard Man Village (Kamp, 1997). This was a small pueblo located in Arizona which is believed to be inhabited between 11th and 13th century. These ancient excavations were first carried out by United States Forest Service and were parts of Grinnell College field school (Kamp, 1997). The aim of the book was to describe Lizard Man Village and present excavation processes and analysis. Kamp 1997 offers archaeological interpretation of the site in relation to the past understandings. She bring out successfully three narratives. These narratives include ethnographic data in relationship to traditional accounts from Hopi (a place which is believed to be the first resident of Lizard Man) (Kamp, 1997). He also bring out clearly the issue of archaeology as well as fictional account basing it on both ethnography and archaeology.
Repatriation of American Indian Remains and Artifacts is the process of returning scared objects, funerary objects, objects of cultural patrimony, and human remains to descendants and culturally affiliated Indian tribes (National Museum of the American Indian). A law passed in 1990 called the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) mandates the repatriation of the American Indian remains and artifacts from museums and other institutions to their affiliated tribes; this law is enforced by the Department of the Interior (Thornton).
2. Brothwell, Don R., (1963) Digging up Bones, the Excavation, Treatment and Study of Human Skeletal Remain’s. London British Museum of Natural History.
the story in the Phillip Whitten and David E. K. Hunter anthropology book of No