The Smithsonian Magazine describes the skeleton of Kennewick Man, which was discovered in 1996 in Washington state, “the most important human skeleton ever found in North America.” (Associated Press file)
Re: “The Kennewick Man finally in full focus,” Sept. 7 Vincent Carroll column.
Vincent Carroll is right to emphasize the importance of the so-called Kennewick Man, the 9,300-year-old skeleton found in Washington in 1996. However, he mischaracterizes the battle over the past by imagining American Indians as anti-science and scientists only as “heroic” seekers of the truth.
Many American Indian communities value archaeology so long as it is inclusive and respectful of their culture. In turn, scientists, as all human beings, are not neutral, but often serve their own political interests, in this case maintaining access to skeletons without the interference of competing claimants.
“Was all the trouble worth it?” Carroll asks. He answers yes. But the real answer is no, because there should not have been any trouble at all.
Consider the 10,000-year-old skeleton found at On-Your-Knees Cave in Alaska in 1996. There the researchers took a deeply respectful and non-confrontational approach. Through a 12-year partnership, the human remains were fully studied and published with the consent of native peoples. The remains were eventually reburied during a two-day festival celebrated by scientists, government officials, and American Indians.
Antagonism and intransigence are not necessary tools to study America’s ancient history. We can learn just as much, while honoring the beliefs of America’s indigenous peoples, with compromise and collaboration.
Chip Colwell, Denver
The writer is curator of anthropology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
This letter was published in the Sept. 14 edition.
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