Kennewick Man Study

The remains of the Kennewick man are one of the oldest and complete remains ever found. The estimated 9,000-year-old skeleton is described as Caucasoid. After the discovery it was described as one of the most complete male skeletons ever unearthed in America. The Kennewick Man remains were the subject of a court battle between researchers who want to learn all they can about “The Ancient One”, and the U.S. Army Corps. The Corps wanted to return the Kennewick Man to his rightful place so that the American Indian tribes can rebury him without the Kennewick Man being studied on. But under United States law human remains cannot be owned by anyone. Even though the Kennewick Man remains were discovered and recovered from federal land and is now

By having requirements to return archaeological findings back to their native tribes entirely, archaeologists are limited in their discoveries and possibly their job. An archaeological discovery is meaningless if it never experiences any practical investigation on whether its characteristics benefit society. For this reason, archaeologists should own the right to keep critically important parts of Kennewick Man’s skull such as his teeth, but return the rest of the skull to the Colville tribe and find an equal compromise. DNA testing should be the first step in deriving information from an archaeological discovery such as a skull, but NAGPRA should give archaeologists the right to keep the most important parts of discoveries for scientific use and then return the remaining parts to the native tribe. In the long run, scientific progress is prevented whenever conflicts emerge over the ownership of archaeological discoveries, therefore Native American tribes should have the courtesy to allow archaeologists to use only specific parts of a specimen and have the remaining parts returned to them if DNA testing comes back positive in relation to their

The Native Americans have come across long journey of difficult times since the occupation of their land by European settlers. There are still two sides of a coin- a world of civilization and a world of underdeveloped society in this one country- USA. The paradox is that the constitution which seems to be a model of democracy to many nations of the world lacks a lot for not acting accordingly. Those organized and unorganized struggles of Native Americans were challenged by the heavily armed white majority settlers. This history is among the worst American experience because of the massacre and the violation against human right. In order to be heard, they protest, occupy land, and write books. The Native Americans have raised several

“Native Americans have faced centuries of atrocities to their people, their land, and their culture - all under various presidents who took an oath of office to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States” (Markwayne Mullin). Native Americans have been living a hard life ever since Columbus arrived in North America but, we need to change that. Native American have been living here before any of us, and we’re just living in their land. Native Americans have struggled since white people first arrived in North America. Some contemporary issues Native Americans face are their ability to prosecute crimes such as rapes against their community, as well as land rights, and the ability to be recognized by the government. It is important that we, as a country, address these issues.

The CCA police department began analyzing evidence that was collected in an abandoned building at the Lowry campus on 6th Ave and Alton way. The building was abandon and boarded up five years ago, but it showed signs of forced entry. During the Investigation of the scene, CCA police officers found a human skeleton. The skeletal remains were found dressed in what appeared to be a bloody t-shirt and jeans. No identification was found yet but one of the officers brought a theory to this case about a Caucasian woman name Sarah, who went missing five years ago last seen in Aurora and they assumed Sarah could be skeleton in the abandon building.

Before reading Joel Spring’s text, Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality, I assumed by the late 1800s that Native Americans would be allowed to be citizens in the United States. So I was shocked to discover that the first Native Americans were not granted citizenship until 1901. Unfortunately, the only Native Americans to receive citizenship at the time were ones were considered civilized because they adopted European culture (Spring, 2016). It is astonishing to me that our government forced Native Americans to give up their culture and adopt ours if they

When most people hear of Native Americans, they cannot help but think of elaborate headdresses, red skinned warriors, and lively dancing. Although these aspects of Native American culture are fascinating, more important is where they fare in our society 's past and present. Restrictive laws and acts such as the Indian Removal Act, the Indian Reorganization Act, Fort Laramie treaties, and the Trail of Tears forced Native Americans from their lands. When settlers and the American government saw the resistance of Native Americans to forced assimilation, they resorted to racial discrimination and relocation to reservations. This history of discrimination has fueled calls for the United States government to pay reparations and the return of Native Americans to their indigenous lands.

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

The federal government’s intentions are pure with the passing of NAGPRA. However, NAGPRA has a considerable number of debatable implications regarding Native Americans. To fall under NAGPRA’s jurisdiction, a tribe is required to have federal recognition. Federal recognition requires a cultural group, such as Native Americans, to abide by federal standards. Non-compliance is an issue prevalent today regarding institutions and companies; the lack of compliance is rooted in the absence of strong restrictions and penalties for institutions and companies. International politics inhibit the act of global reparation. International representatives and museum officials leading repatriation processes, results in a more efficient way of returning artifacts to the rightful owner without political restrictions. All in all, the Native American Graves Protection Act made significant important changes over the years, however, with ever advancing United States and American Indian Tribes the outdated act is in need of

Despite winning the court case the Native American people’s need and rights were completely disregarded. Their homes were ripped away from them and their voices were silenced, as they could not even vote at the time.

In 1996 in the Columbia River Valley a pair of teenagers came across a skeletal by the river. These remains belonged to the Kennewick Man who died 9,000 years ago. The skeleton of the Kennewick man is one of the most complete skeletons discovered from that era with over three-hundred bones. The skeleton sparked controversy with Native American tribes claiming him as their ancestor who should be properly reburied. The opposing side would be the scientists claiming he is of polynesian descent, meaning his remains should be kept in a museum. Forensic anthropologists analyzed the skeletal for signs of his descent. By the use of forensic anthropology the bones were examined for wounds that would show his life style, his facial structure, and signs of his diet which all gave evidence of him being of polynesian descent. (Achenbach, 2014)

There was a group of missionaries that lived on Indian and they refused to get a special license. The missionaries supported the Cherokee Indians’ stance against Georgia laws that they should not be removed from their land. Missionary Sam Worcester and his wife along with five other missionaries refused to move from Indian Territory or apply fro a special license. The army came and arrested them. After Worchester was arrested, he appealed to the Supreme Court saying his constitutional rights were violated. Worcester and the other missionaries were convicted of living on the Cherokee land without a special license. They were sentenced to four years of hard labor. Worcester and the other missionaries were kept in prison until 1833. The court decided that the law under which Worcester was prosecuted violated the constitution, treaties and the laws of the United

The Cherokee Native American tribe is being forced out of their homeland from Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, and Florida, into Unclaimed territory westward. The tribe didn’t want to leave, but enough tribe members signed a contract stating that all Native Americans agree to move westward into a Native American Reservation where no one will bother them. This land is halfway across the country from where they were settled. Because of this, countless Cherokee natives were outraged by this, and many protested against the government. But since the documents were signed, they had no choice but to leave their land, or face punishment.

The United States government should give the Native American back their land.The natives were not bothering the people so why should they take their land. The government should give back their land because their ancestors grew the land for the Natives. The natives having their own land they were able to live how they wanted and the way they were taught from their ancestors. My reason they should get back their land is because of their ancestors, the natives were their first and they deserve their land.

Owsley theory on The Kennewick Man is based on the study of the skeleton and is an expert on bones. According to Owsley, compared to Native Americans "[The Kennewick Man] is a much narrower and longer — relatively longer — cranium, and the way the base of the cranium is configured" (Joyce). The “Americas” in the series First People disputes this by explaining that how humans look today greatly vary from our past because of our changed lifestyle. When humans wanted to make something in the past, they had to remember how to create it and then make it with their own hands. Today humans rely on the intelligence and innovation of society to make things for them. For example, if humans today wanted shoes, they would buy them while the first peoples of the Americas would have to make shoes themselves. In addition, the first peoples of the Americas needed to know where to find food from different sources in their environment. In the past, people relied on a small select group of people to provide everything they needed to survive and store that knowledge, cultivated over generations, in their brains. From these lifestyle changes, the skulls and brain of humans have shrunk from the first peoples of the Americas to people today (Americas). In conclusion, Owsley conclusion based on the study of The Kennewick Man skull and body should be inconclusive due to human evolution. The Kennewick Man can provide evidence for human evolution due to the fact his DNA “is closer to modern Native Americans than to any other population worldwide” (Rasmussen) and his skull differs greatly from Native Americans today