World History
They came to bury Kennewick Man, not praise him. This is a "History in the News" column from USA Today. It recounts some of the findings that scientists have discovered about Kennewick Man who died about 9,300 years ago.
This study almost did not happen. Several Native American tribes sued to stop Kennewick Man from being studied under the provisions of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The tribes lost as they could not prove Kennewick Man was their ancestor and scientists were finally cleared to study the remains last year.
I am sympathetic to the claims of the Native Americans in this case. I do not believe that American Indian burial sites should be disturbed for study without tribal consent. However, I think there needs to be a time limit imposed on the invocation of this law. It is going to be nearly impossible to ever learn anything about the migration of humans into pre-historic America if all remains from these times are seized and reburied without study. (And no, I do not know how far back a time limit should be imposed. But I think it is a reasonable suggestion.)
The Clovis Migration Theory has been shown to have some flaws. There is evidence that humans have been in the new world much longer than previously believed. Further, there may have been waves of immigrants not only from Asia but from Polynesia, Africa, and Europe too. Some of these groups may have been wiped out or assimilated into other communities. This is an exciting field of study and I hope more evidence (human remains or other) can be found to help build knowledge in this area.
From the site:
It's not quite CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, but the oldest forensic science case in the country is back in the spotlight. Scientists have presented their evaluation of the remains of a man who died 9,300 years ago, the fruit of a nine-year legal battle for the right to examine the skeleton now known as "Kennewick Man." The bones were found by two boating enthusiasts along the Columbia River in Kennewick, Wash. in 1996.
At last week's American Academy of Forensic Sciences conference in Seattle, Smithsonian Institution scientist Doug Owsley presented results of a "taphonomy" of the bones. Taphonomy is the "study of the transformation of materials into the archaeological record," according to The Penguin Archaeology Guide (I keep a copy on the nightstand), one of those fun science words that basically means, "how this thing got buried."
And Kennewick Man was deliberately buried. A 20-member science team working last year has determined the man's body was likely interred along the river, arms at his side and hands down with head slightly inclined upward, Owsley said. His feet were pointed downstream. The bones had been washed out of their burial place by heavy rains about six weeks before their discovery.
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- It's Real Life Csi For Dinosaur Detectives
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- The Middle Palaeolithic Site Of Wallertheim: A Brief Introduction
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World History
They came to bury Kennewick Man, not praise him
They came to bury Kennewick Man, not praise him. This is a "History in the News" column from USA Today. It recounts some of the findings that scientists have discovered about Kennewick Man who died about 9,300 years ago.
This study almost did not happen. Several Native American tribes sued to stop Kennewick Man from being studied under the provisions of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The tribes lost as they could not prove Kennewick Man was their ancestor and scientists were finally cleared to study the remains last year.
I am sympathetic to the claims of the Native Americans in this case. I do not believe that American Indian burial sites should be disturbed for study without tribal consent. However, I think there needs to be a time limit imposed on the invocation of this law. It is going to be nearly impossible to ever learn anything about the migration of humans into pre-historic America if all remains from these times are seized and reburied without study. (And no, I do not know how far back a time limit should be imposed. But I think it is a reasonable suggestion.)
The Clovis Migration Theory has been shown to have some flaws. There is evidence that humans have been in the new world much longer than previously believed. Further, there may have been waves of immigrants not only from Asia but from Polynesia, Africa, and Europe too. Some of these groups may have been wiped out or assimilated into other communities. This is an exciting field of study and I hope more evidence (human remains or other) can be found to help build knowledge in this area.
From the site:
It's not quite CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, but the oldest forensic science case in the country is back in the spotlight. Scientists have presented their evaluation of the remains of a man who died 9,300 years ago, the fruit of a nine-year legal battle for the right to examine the skeleton now known as "Kennewick Man." The bones were found by two boating enthusiasts along the Columbia River in Kennewick, Wash. in 1996.
At last week's American Academy of Forensic Sciences conference in Seattle, Smithsonian Institution scientist Doug Owsley presented results of a "taphonomy" of the bones. Taphonomy is the "study of the transformation of materials into the archaeological record," according to The Penguin Archaeology Guide (I keep a copy on the nightstand), one of those fun science words that basically means, "how this thing got buried."
And Kennewick Man was deliberately buried. A 20-member science team working last year has determined the man's body was likely interred along the river, arms at his side and hands down with head slightly inclined upward, Owsley said. His feet were pointed downstream. The bones had been washed out of their burial place by heavy rains about six weeks before their discovery.
- Chicken Bones Suggest Polynesians Found Americas Before Columbus
Were Polynesians in South America before Columbus happened upon the Americas in 1492? Some evidence suggests this is the case. An article by Heather Whipps titled Chicken Bones Suggest Polynesians Found Americas Before Columbus has the details. Whipps...
- It's Real Life Csi For Dinosaur Detectives
It's real life CSI for dinosaur detective. This article at CNN caught my eye. I almost did not include it here as it is not about history directly. It instead deals with scientists studying pre-history dinosaurs. Still, I think I can justify a link...
- Ainu - Spirit Of A Northern People
Ainu - Spirit of a Northern People. The Ainu are the original indigenous people of Japan. This site is an online exhibition of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History exploring the ancient origin of the Ainu, their relations with the Japanese,...
- The Middle Palaeolithic Site Of Wallertheim: A Brief Introduction
The Middle Palaeolithic Site of Wallertheim: A Brief Introduction A brief introduction to site of Wallertheim is located in the Rheinhessen region of Germany, approximately 25km southwest of the city of Mainz, and is situated on the former floodplain...
- Skull Fossil Suggests Simpler Human Lineage
Wow! So long Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus and several others. According to a new study, those different species "may actually represent variation among members of a single, evolving lineage." "In other words," according to the the New York...