Analysis of Geoarchaeological Data and Research Objectives for the Kennewick Man Discovery Site, Columbia Park, Washington (original) (raw)
Related papers
Archaeological Investigations (1991-1996) at 45CL1 (Cathlapotle), Clark County, Washington
1998
Archaeological investigations at archaeological site 45CL1, Clark County, Washington, demonstrate that the locality is a very large (c 1.5ha), deeply stratified (2-4m) town site with an occupation spanning at least 1000 years (c. AD 1000 to 1840). Six large, complex depressions have been mapped. Test excavations show that these depressions represent the semi-subterranean portions of residential structures, probably large plankhouses of the type common on the Lower Columbia River and the Northwest Coast in aboriginal times. The depressions may represent as many as 11 such dwellings. A seventh depression is deeply buried beneath midden deposits. The cultural deposits contain very high densities of artifacts, ecofacts (including both faunal and floral remains), debris and features.
1999
Archaeological investigations at site 45CL1, Clark County, Washington, demonstrate that the locality is a very large (c 1.5ha), deeply stratified (2-4m) town site with an occupation spanning at least 1000 years (c. AD 1000 to 1840). Six large, complex depressions have been mapped. Test excavations show that these depressions represent the semisubterranean portions of residential structures, probably large plankhouses of the type common on the Lower Columbia River and the Northwest Coast in aboriginal times. The depressions may represent as many as 11 such dwellings. A seventh depression is deeply buried beneath midden deposits. The cultural deposits contain very high densities of artifacts, ecofacts (including both faunal and floral remains), debris and features. The site is near the Columbia River on a very active flood plain, resulting in site stratigraphy produced by a combination of active cultural and alluvial depositional processes. Site 45CL1, given its location and size, is the best candidate to be the site of Cathlapotle, a Middle Chinookan town visited by Lewis and Clark in 1806, as well as by other early Europeans in the area. The site is extraordinarily well preserved, having undergone only minor alterations since its abandonment, probably in the third or fourth decade of the 19th century AD. ii iii Successful archaeological projects are invariably the result of the cooperation of a wide variety of people. We wish to express our gratitude to the following: Jim Carty, who grew up on the land that holds Cathlapotle, told us where it was, and provided us with considerable information and assistance. Anan Raymond, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Regional Archaeologist instigated the project, actively encourages it and finds financial support. The project very much is a reflection of his vision and his hard work. He also edited previous reports with a sharp pencil. We look forward to the time he needs a good editor. Virginia Parks (USFWS) initiated the public education program in 1994, and has coordinated it, often on her own time, ever since. She has spread knowledge of the Chinookan heritage and Cathlapotle's archaeology far in this region. She also did the final editing and production of this report. We have been unfailingly helped by the staff of the US Fish and Wildlife Refuge at Ridgefield, WA. Bruce Wiseman, former Refuge Manager, provided advice and assistance with working on the refuge and with logistics. The staff was continually helpful, interested and sometimes amused by us. Members of the Chinook Tribal Council, including Tim Tarabocchia, Don Mechals, Clifford Snyder, Gary Johnson, Tony Johnson, and Jeanne Shaffer, visited the site and PSU's archaeology labs several times and provided advice and enthusiasm. In August, 1995, over 80 tribal members visited the site and brought their excitement with them. One, Ed Nielsen, even wrote a wonderful poem about us and the Cathlapotle town. The people of Ridgefield, Washington have displayed keen and excited interest in the project, and never failed to be friendly, even when we filled the market with sweaty, grimy people in search of ice cream and pop on hot afternoons. They have packed our Washington Archaeology Week sessions on the project. Judith Ramaley, then President of Portland State University, exhibited a strong and consistent interest In our work, visiting the site in July of 1994 and 1995. Marvin Kaiser, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at PSU, has provided essential financial Support to keep the project going and invested his thought and energy into fund raising. Richard Dewey, of PSU's Summer School and Extended Studies acted as liaison between the field school and summer session. Miles Turner, then of Extended Studies, also materially assisted us by his ability to manage our patchwork of funding and support during the summers. No one knows exactly how he does it. Marc Feldsmen, Anthropology Department Chair, has unfailingly supported the project through thick and thin. Connie Cash, Anthropology Department Office Manager, has handled the logistical and administrative complexities that arise from keeping many people in the field for two months. She also has sometimes served as councilor to the distressed and is one of our most indispensable personnel. The many members of the Friends of the Wapato Valley have assisted the project with their donations, their interest and excitement. Ultimately, however, we are in the deepest debt to the many people who have worked at the site itself.
Return of the native: Science's loss of Kennewick Man is the penalty for past misdeeds
Kennewick Man is the name given to a skeleton found in 1996 near the shore of the Columbia River in Washington. Radiocarbon dating puts its age at a staggering 9,500 years, easily the oldest human remains ever found in North America. The aboriginal Umatilla, Colville, Wanapum, Yakama and Nez Perce peoples claim Kennewick Man as an ancestor, and want to provide him with a decent burial according to their customs. Anthropologists, scenting an unparalleled opportunity to look deep into the past, wish to keep the remains for scientific study, including DNA testing, an aim hotly opposed by the five local nations. Last month, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt ruled that in the absence of conclusive physical evidence, the oral histories of the local nations would be accepted, and Kennewick Man must be returned to the aboriginals for burial. Anthropologists were outraged, and a lawsuit they had launched in 1996 was reactivated this week. Meanwhile, the disputed bones of Kennewick Man lie, unburied, in a Seattle museum.
Archaeology in Washington 21(1)
Archaeology in Washington, 2023
Editors' Note While we are not truly out of the throes of the global pandemic and the full ramifications of the past few years will take quite some time to consider, we are pleased that not all of the submitted materials to Archaeology in Washington were waxing polemic about archaeological apocalypses, past and present. In this issue we have an article by Sonya Sobel and Jordan Thompson which came out of Professor Shannon Tushingham's Cultural Resource Management course at Washington State University. Tushingham's encouragement for student publication in Washington will be sorely missed as she moves onto a new role with the California Academy of Sciences. Sobel and Thompson profile Parker and King and examine an underrepresented part of Washington in applying Bulletin 38. Additionally, we have four book reviews: Gary Wessen reviews "Fishes of the Columbia Basin," "Probably More than You Wanted to Know About the Fishes of the Pacific Coast," and "Certainly More than You Wanted to Know About the Fishes of the Pacific Coast." Bob Kopperl reviewed "The Gifted Earth: The Ethnobotany of the Quinault and Neighboring Tribes." We also thank Rhiannon Held for her guidance on copy editing the journal. We hope to see more contributions submitted to the journal, including forum discussions on pressing issues. How tribes, resources managers, and archaeological practitioners are rising to the challenges of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and potential impacts of renewable energy projects on heritage are all issues we are hoping to be discussed in future issues. Additionally, we welcome more student papers and discussions such as the Sobel and Thompson article. How we engage in equitable, culturally appropriate archaeologies in Washington is crucial and discussing these issues is the aim of this journal, so please send in those articles and discussions! Best regards,
In 1996, on the banks of the Columbia River a human skull was found by two individuals that ultimately led to the recovery of one of the most complete early Holocene skeletons found to date in the Western Hemisphere (Bruning 501). This discovery gained national attention and ignited tensions between Native American groups and scientists, especially archaeologists. There were several events and misunderstandings that lead to heightened emotions among both groups that lead to a legal battle over who should have the final say over what should be done with 9,000 year old remains. The following research intents to address the positions of the invested parties, the implications of the ethical debate surrounding this case, and what we can learn from this event.
The ancestry and affiliations of Kennewick Man
Nature, 2015
Kennewick Man, referred to as the Ancient One by Native Americans, is a male human skeleton discovered in Washington state (USA) in 1996 and initially radiocarbon-dated to 8,340-9,200 calibrated years before present (bp). His population affinities have been the subject of scientific debate and legal controversy. Based on an initial study of cranial morphology it was asserted that Kennewick Man was neither Native American nor closely related to the claimant Plateau tribes of the Pacific Northwest, who claimed ancestral relationship and requested repatriation under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The morphological analysis was important to judicial decisions that Kennewick Man was not Native American and that therefore NAGPRA did not apply. Instead of repatriation, additional studies of the remains were permitted. Subsequent craniometric analysis affirmed Kennewick Man to be more closely related to circumpacific groups such as the Ainu and Polynesi...