Kennewick Man’s remains reek of government cover-up
By Mike Hansen
Nov. 25, 2002 9:00 p.m.
A 9,000-year-old Caucasoid skeleton was uncovered near
Kennewick, Washington in 1996. What an amazing find; we should
learn more about it, right?
Not so fast. A cover-up is under way, in every sense possible.
Four days after the stunning preliminary radiocarbon results of
“Kennewick Man,” the Army Corps of Engineers halted all
studies and took possession of the Caucasoid skeleton. The Army
Corps, under the direction of Clinton administration Secretary of
the Interior Bruce Babbitt, decided to give the remains of
Kennewick Man to local Native American tribes for burial.
A group of eight leading anthropologists filed suit against the
Department of the Interior to prevent the rare Kennewick Man
skeleton from being lost forever. But a one-way ticket to Pluto is
exactly what Native Americans and hyper politically
correct-conscious liberals want for Kennewick Man. How dare anyone
suggest that Caucasians may have settled North America first. It
might take away the Indians’ casinos. Quick,everybody, hide
the evidence!
Now it’s up to the courts. The judicial system must make a
decisive judgment as to whether Kennewick Man is related to the
Native Americans or not. On Oct. 29, the U.S. government joined
four Northwest Indian tribes in an appeal of a U.S. District Court
ruling that allowed the scientists to study Kennewick Man.
The U.S. government and the Native Americans should just drop
their appeal now. Their insistence that no one study Kennewick Man
smacks of the medieval Catholic Church’s demand that no one
question whether the Earth is flat. Further scientific inquiry is
banned. Case closed.
The whole situation reeks of cover-up. It’s time to clear
the air. Kennewick Man needs to be studied so that the truth about
the origins of the first Americans can be revealed. And as it
happens, the truth may be quite terrifying. Brace yourself.
The facial reconstruction of Kennewick Man looks like a Patrick
Stewart clone. Yes, Kennewick Man from 10,000 years ago looks like
Captain Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Archaeologist
Jim Chatters, who conducted a forensic study of Kennewick Man, said
in the Newsletter of the American Anthropological Association,
“On the physical characteristics alone, he could fit on the
streets of Stockholm without causing any kind of notice.”
Perhaps this is why a cult of neo-Vikings made a pilgrimage to
the Columbia River site of the discovery and recited ancient pagan
prayers to the remains of Kennewick Man, whom they claim as their
ancestor. The leader shouted, “In the sign of Odin, Balder,
Frey and Thor, may all evil be banished from this place!”
Before this really gets out of hand and Kennewick Man becomes an
idol for the Ku Klux Klan, or even worse, an honored guest at
Trekkie conventions, the remains must be released for further
scientific inquiry. The true shocker to the obstructionists out
there is that Kennewick Man may not be white after all.
Just because Kennewick Man and several other remains found in
North America have Caucasian features does not mean they were
European. It is highly possible that these Caucasian features are a
result of natural variation within the Native American
population.
In the same article, Chatters states, “No matter how long
we might study Kennewick Man we would never know the form or color
of his eyes, skin and hair, whether his hair was curly or straight,
his lips thin or full ““ in short many of the characteristics
by which we judge living peoples’ racial affiliation.”
No one is asserting that Kennewick Man was white.
We will never know whether Kennewick Man had European ancestry,
but even if he did, Native Americans have nothing to fear. No
matter who lived in North America 10,000 years ago, the protections
and legal sovereignty Native Americans enjoy will not be
jeopardized. Likewise, if Europeans are found to have settled North
America in ancient times, it would be no excuse for the modern
decimation of Native Americans by Europeans.
Obstructing the study of Kennewick Man is irrational.
“Native American Groups have nothing to fear,” said
UCLA anthropology Professor Jeanne Arnold. “If we are to
achieve the most balanced view possible, it is better that we
proceed with scientific inquiry than throw up road blocks.”
Once Kennewick Man is studied in the least invasive way possible,
he should be given to the Native Americans for burial. But please,
let’s not pretend he doesn’t exist.
Hansen’s column runs every Tuesday.
