Kennewick Man hearings

This is a difficult area. I have a fair amount of empathy for the native folks on most issues, including respectful return of tribal remains that were, in some cases, removed under the most egregious circumstances.

But remains that are clearly thousands of years old, not part of an established gravesite, nor culturally continuous with the native populations that resided in the area at contact…well, that’s a bit like the north Italian villagers getting up in arms over the disrespect shown to their “fellow” villager, the nine-thousand year old fellow who melted out of the glacier.

All remains of this kind–of whatever age and provenance–should be treated with respect, but respect can include appropriate scientific study of ancient, non-culturally-associated remains.

The Bush administration reportedly has now come out against the amendments to NAGPRA that would preclude appropriate study. A rare pro-science stance, perhaps, but a welcome one.