WHS's Theory of Aryan Origins And Kinship

Federal Opposition to Science

An example of how the Federal Government obstructs certain anthropolgical and genetic research is given in the 2 January, 1998 edition of "Science", Voulme 279, page 25 in an article entitled "Kennewick Man: More Bones to Pick", from which I quote:

Last week, scientists added another bit of bone to the skeleton of Kennewick Man, the oldest, most complete - and most disputed - ancient human from the Pacific Northwest. A partial rib of the 9300 year old skeleton was found when independent scientists, Native Americans, and the Army Corps of Engineers cooperated in a limited study of the Columbia River beach where the other remains were recovered. But the chip of rib, like everything else connected to this ancient American, is a bone of contention. With the rest of his skeleton, it has been locked away in a vault, pending the outcome of a suit filed by a group of scientists against the corps for the right to study the remains (Science, 11 July 1997, p. 173).

Kennewick Man's new bone is the latest twist in a strange saga that occasionally verges on farce, as various groups vie for access to his bones and history. Since the skeleton's discovery about a year and a half ago on corps land leased to the city of Kennewick, archaeologists have longed to study the skeleton, which reputedly has "Caucasoid" rather than modern Native American traits. . .

The newest addition to the skeleton, a 2 centimeter square piece of rib, was found along the reservoir's beech by James Chatters, and independent archaeologist who led the original recovery of Kennewick Man in July 1996.

The latest round of research began when Gary Huckelberry, a geoarchaeologist at Washington State University in Pullman, and a team of independent scientists including Chatters asked to study the sedimentary environment of the site. Huckleberry wanted to dig a trench, 1.5 meters deep and 15 to 30 meters long, to understand the skeleton's geologic context. The Umatilla Tribe opposed the digging, saying that the site is a cemetery and is culturally sensitive. . .

The corps geologists did confirm the age of the sediments supports the radiocarbon date for the skeleton, . . Chatters estimates that the skeleton is now 90% to 95% complete. Any chance of recovering the few remaining pieces are slim however. Corps spokesperson Dutch Meier says that sometime in early January, the corps will cover the beach with a undisclosed quantity of rock to protect in from further erosion. The site is "not getting the kind of rigorous study' it deserves", laments Robson Bonnichsen, director of the Center for study of the First Americans in Corvallis, "And now they're going to bury it."

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