lwoodbloo | (no subject)

Was on LJ today looking and browsing, and I had some things come back to me from college.

I had a long and abiding interest in the issues surrounding NAGPRA (Native american graves protection and repatriation act). After doing a paper and presentation on the pros and cons of NAGPRAA in light of the discovery of Kennewick Man (a paleoindian site along the kennwick river in WA). Kennewick man was found by an archaeologist and the local coroner after the skeleton was uncovered by a storm, and the coroner quickly realized that the person wasn't a citizen of the state of WA. They called the local physical anthropology dept. and had somieone come and curate the skeleton, make sure that it was preserved correctly. The anthropologist, whose name eludes me, did an interview with local media, telling them that it was a caucasian skeleton from a long time ago. Paleoindian and caucasian features are actually quite similar, so the mistake was understandable. The anthropologist corrected himself, and then was faced with an order from the local indian tribes under NAGPRA. Their issue was that since he was buried here before the white man came, he must be native american.

Now, the skeleton dates from 10k to 12kya. The people with whom this person had kinship with PROBABLY (not for sure) continued down through the continent and settled somewhere in south america. However, since he was buried in WA, they claimed that the skeleton was part of their cultural heritage and should be repatriated.

Now. When I read about all the Kwakiutl, Inuit, and Lakota stuff that's not even on display at the AMNH, I nearly had a fit. All those skeletons, the grave goods, the PEOPLE that got dug up by early anthropologists and archaeologists, that made me sick. Sick that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. Part of why I'm not, as well. However, this particular issue is different. No matter how much the local people want to tell me they've been here forever, we can dig at as many sites in WA as they like, and I bet that anything man made that we C14 date will be from around ten thousand years ago. A little more, a little less. And local traditions probably begin WAY after that as well.

Then again, if someone told me that something I considered my heritage wasn't mine, I'd probably be irritated to.

Oh, and I just looked it up. As of 2002 (five years after the discovery) Kennewick Man's remains were returned to the local university for study. Just found a paper on it that I will read tonight with gusto.