AREA RUG SHAG

Skull Wars Kennewick Man, Archaeology, And The Battle For Native American Identity

The 1996 discovery, near Kennewick, Washington, of a 9,000-year-old Caucasoid skeleton brought more to the surface than bones. The explosive controversy and resulting lawsuit also raised a far more fundamental question: Who owns history? Many Indians see archeologists as desecrators of tribal rites and traditions; archeologists see their livelihoods and science threatened by the 1990 Federal reparation law, which gives tribes control over remains in their traditional territories.In this new work, Thomas charts the riveting story of this lawsuit, the archeologists’ deteriorating relations with American Indians, and the rise of scientific archeology. His telling of the tale gains extra credence from his own reputation as a leader in building cooperation between the two sides.

Since its discovery in 1996, the issues surrounding Kennewick Man have grown ever more complicated and controversial. Out of this fracas comes Skull Wars, David Hurst Thomas's masterful contribution to the debate. The book is sure to stir passions even as it seeks to offer a better way for archeologists, anthropologists, and Native Americans to work together in the future. When it was determined that Kennewick Man, a skeleton with Caucasoid features discovered near Kennewick, Washington, was estimated to be more than 9,000 years old, it effectively lobbed a grenade into the already tense arena of the origins of the pre-Columbus peoples of the United States. Thomas, curator of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, leads the reader through the development of American anthropology and archeology, the many reinterpretations of Native Americans by non-Indians, an assertion of native rights, and the eventual intercession of the federal government, ironically, as protective party. Skull Wars is a gripping account of the way race, scientific practice, history, and politics converged around an ancient skeleton. --Julia Riches

This guy is always in the newspapers. Kennewick Man arrested for....Kennewick Man pursued by....Kennewick Man wins award for....

Kennewick Place Grand Opening in Alpharetta Georgia

This stunningly illustrated nonfiction account explores the 1996 discovery of the skeletal remains of Kennewick Man.
When two young men who were sneaking into a boat race accidentally uncovered a skeleton along a bank of the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington, in 1996, they had no idea of the impact their discovery would have. The bones were those of one of the oldest and most complete skeletons ever recovered in this country and led to one of the most important archaeological controversies of modern times. Kennewick Man transformed long-held theories about the colonization of the Americas and sparked a nine-year battle pitting scientists against Native American tribes for control of the remains. Beautifully illustrated with drawings, diagrams, and maps, the book offers a fascinating look at forensic anthropology at its most exciting, describing the scientific methods used, the surprises revealed, and the unsolved mysteries that resulted from these discoveries. Time line, glossary, chapter notes, bibliography are included.