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The Kennewick Man Controversy
Term Paper ID:42277
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Essay Subject:
This paper discusses the Kennewick Man Controversy detailing the argument between the scientists and ...... More...
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3 Pages / 675 Words
3 sources, 15 Citations,
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Paper Abstract:
This paper discusses the Kennewick Man Controversy, detailing the argument between the scientists and the Native Americans over the remains.
Paper Introduction:
The Kennewick Man Controversy The Kennewick Man controversy started in when two students foundthe remains of a man along the Columbia River in Washington Zimmerman They believed the remains to be those of a murder victim but in fact subsequent carbon dating found that the skeleton was over years old Zimmerman The first anthropologist to examine the skeleton JamesChatters was startled to find that Kennewick Man\'s features weredistinctively Caucasian a finding that suggested they belonged to aEuropean settler and prompting a reevaluation
Text of the Paper:
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Scientists were outraged, claiming that if theskeleton had Caucasoid traits, the Indians could not claim it (Thomas &Colley xxii). If theArmy Corps of Engineers had turned the bones over to the courts prior tomaking any promises, the battle could at least have taken place in a legalcontext where both sides had a chance to present evidence. Could the issue have been handled better? v. Moreover, Chattersbelieved that scientific study of Kennewick Man might enable scientists tolearn more about diseases that affect Native Americans such as type 2diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis (Zimmerman). In the Kennewick Man case, various journalistsargued each side-the Native American and the scientific. scientists. The first anthropologist to examine the skeleton, JamesChatters, was startled to find that Kennewick Man's features weredistinctively Caucasian, a finding that suggested they belonged to aEuropean settler and prompting a reevaluation of theories about how theAmericas were originally populated (Zimmerman). The issues raised by the debate include a question of where the limitsof scientific exploration should lie and how ethical issues should fare inany conflict of science and ethics. This prompted a lawsuit, Bonnischsen et al. Althoughthe Army Corps of Engineers confiscated the bones and originally announcedthat it would return them to an alliance of five northwest Indian tribesrepresented by the Umatilla, they ended up holding them for several years(Thomas & Colley xxii). Thus, unnecessarily keeping the body out of the ground andexperimenting on it by removing or destroying tissue is a breach of theNative American cultural mores, and they believe that the dead person'sspirit suffers because of it (Zimmerman). They are being disrespectful" (Thomas& Colley xxii). They can saywhatever they want, the scientists. At its heart, thematter of the Kennewick skeleton involves political power and propertyrights." With science militating against ethics, the controversy willrepeat itself until ethical boundaries are established for scientificresearch. Native Americans assert that"human remains are connected to the spirit of the deceased. "Our oral history goes back 1 , years," he said, "Weknow how time began and how Indian people were created. The controversy arosebecause Native Americans view remains such as Kennewick Man as sacred andbelieve that they should not be removed from their burial site, whilescientists are eager to dig them up and perform extensive testing on themfor the purposes of science (Zimmerman). This debate is still not resolved, asevidenced by its continuation in other forms, such as stem cell researcharguments. Dysart. SagePub. New York: Basic Books, 2 1.Zimmerman, Matt. The Kennewick Man Controversy The Kennewick Man controversy started in 1996 when two students foundthe remains of a man along the Columbia River in Washington (Zimmerman).They believed the remains to be those of a murder victim, but in fact,subsequent carbon dating found that the skeleton was over 9, years old(Zimmerman). .Thomas, David Hurst, and Sarah Colley. Works CitedColeman, Cynthia-Lou, and Erin V. The right of science, unfortunately, is often held higher thanthe right of ethics, which results in acceptance of unconscionable acts inthe name of science, such as experimentation on Jews in Nazi concentrationcamps. United Statesof America, striving to obtain access to the bones for archaeologists andother scientists (Thomas & Colley xxiv). Coleman and Dysart (5) point out that "Journalists treat science asthough it were devoid of values, often approaching cultural views as thoughthey were devoid of reason and using news frames that mirror such views."Furthermore, in a pluralist society, there is a "complex of groups andinterests," of which none predominate all the time, so the effect ofjournalism can be to champion a particular cause to the detriment of others(Coleman & Dysart 6). Skull Wars: Kennewick Man, Archaeology, and the Battle for Native American Identity. . "The Kennewick Man Controversy: An Ethical and Legal Overview." Professional Ethics Report 11.3 (Summer 1998). Thomas andColley (234) state, "Ultimately, the Kennewick dispute is not a matter ofreligion v. science, or even Indians v. In the meantime, the Umatillaleader, Armand Minthorn argued that the bones should be returned to theNative Americans. Undoubtedly. Therefore,respect for the body is equivalent to respect for the dead individual"(Zimmerman). The federalgovernment's Army Corps of Engineers held jurisdiction over the discoverysite and made a seizure of the remains to comply with the Native AmericanGraves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA, a law that stipulatesthat any human remains or funerary/sacred relics held by a federally fundedagency or found on federal land associated with a Native American tribe canrequest return of the remains and relics (Coleman & Dysart 1 ). "Framing of Kennewick Man against the Backdrop of a Scientific and Cultural Controversy." Science Communication 27.3 (2 5).
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