The Kennewick Man’s tale acts as the most complicated story found in the modern times that creates a lot of controversy regarding the ownership of the man's remains. The Native American claims the ownership of the skull from the fact that it was located on the federal land; hence, it remained under the watch of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. However, research by an independent archeologist showed the skull existed more than 9,000 years ago, and it cannot be of Native American origin. A thorough analysis of both the Native American claim and the archeological point of view shows the Kennewick Man’s remains trace their ownership from the archeologist’s research and investigations.
The report from the federal court reveals a big quarrel to determine the ownership of the Kennewick Man’s remains. The Native America claims that the skull belongs to them because it was identified on their land have little weight compared to the archeological research done by experts. A detailed look at the skull by the archeologist revealed the man did not have any characteristic of a Native American from the shape of the forehead to the length of the hand. On the contrary, the American Indigenous people faced a high level of discrimination from Native Americans, and it could be possible that Kennewick Man died as a slave in America. Claims of some graves being overturned and remains stolen question the ownership of the skeleton by the Native American (). Moreover, the ownership of the remains is more of the archeologist than the Native American because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who assumed the ownership of the skeleton act towards protecting the past but they cannot prove that the bone belonged to a Native American. The story of American Indians, their lifestyle and body characteristics reveal the skeleton belonged to one of their ancestors.
Reference
Thomas, D. H. (2002). Skull wars: Kennewick Man, archaeology, and the battle for Native
American identity. New York: Basic Books.
