Kennewick Man is the name for the skeletal remains of a prehistoric man found on a bank of the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington, USA, on July 28, 1996. The discovery of Kennewick Man was accidental; a pair of spectators (Will Thomas and David Deacy) found his skull while attending the annual hydroplane races.
One of the most complete ancient skeletons ever found, bone tests have shown the skeleton to be 8410 +/- 60 B.P. (UCR 3476) (ca 7300 to 7600 B.C.) These findings triggered a nine-year legal clash between scientists, the American government and Native American tribes who claim Kennewick Man as their ancestors. The long dispute has made him an international celebrity.
In February 2004, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that a cultural link between any of the Native American tribes and the Kennewick Man was not genetically justified, allowing scientific study of the remains to continue.
In July 2005, a team of scientists from around the United States convened in Seattle for ten days to study the remains, making many detailed measurements and determining the cause of death.
Kennewick Man was not a Native American and has more in common with Polynesians, according to the most recent study of the remains.
Read more about Kennewick Man: Scientific Significance, Ownership Controversy
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“The State’s your mother, your father, the totality of your interests. No discipline can be too severe for the man that denies that by word or deed.”
—H.G. (Herbert George)