Last week, Seattle-based writer Kate Riley published an article on Kennewick Man for the Seattle Times, with an article called "Who Owns the Past?" Her article compares the discovery and--well, fallout is the most appropriate word--of Kennewick Man to the discovery of Kuwóot yas.éin (translated roughly as His Spirit is Looking Out From the Cave in the Tlingit language). Kuwóot yas.éin was discovered in On Your Knees cave on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska in 1996, the same year as Kennewick, and is in fact older than Kennewick Man (10,300 as opposed to 9,400 years old). Further, Kuwóot yas.éin was found on federal land--the Tongass National Forest--and NAGPRA was an issue here as well. But in the case of Kuwóot yas.éin, the US Forest Service conducted the research with the full knowledge, support and even help of Tlingit tribe members. The comparison of the two procedures is illuminating about what went wrong with Kennewick and what didn't have to.
Riley's thoughtful piece appeared in the Seattle Times on August 28, 2006, and includes podcast files from tribal leaders Clarence Jackson (Tlingit) and Armand Minthorne (Umatilla). I for one look forward to more from this writer.
Riley's thoughtful piece appeared in the Seattle Times on August 28, 2006, and includes podcast files from tribal leaders Clarence Jackson (Tlingit) and Armand Minthorne (Umatilla). I for one look forward to more from this writer.
- Who Owns the Past?, Kate Riley in the Seattle Times
- Kennewick Man: The Series
- Kennewick Man, Latest News and Information
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