Nate Salas

Thank you for your input Nate. You hit the nail the head; the Kennewick Man controversy has a lot to do with the with who owns the rights to the remains of Kennewick. Various tribes including Native Americans as well as Indians lay claims to the remains as they were both convinced that Kennewick was their kin. Without a doubt, deciding such as case is difficult because it is a high profile case which makes it the center of attention. The issue is also complicated by the fact that the remains are rather old; they are estimated to be about 9000 years old. Although there are modern and improved analysis methods that can be employed to decide the tribe that is the closest kin, it would take a lot of testing to narrow it down. Although a bit farfetched, the only way out of the high profile case is for one of the tribes to compromise and let their counterpart have the rights to the remains.

Juliet Manikins

Hello Juliet,

Thanks for your input into the discussion. I agree with you that the religious and scientific issues at the center of the Kennewick Man controversy have a lot to do with the tribal lands where his remains were found. Because the skeleton estimated to be about 9000 years old was found on tribal land, they seek rights to Kennewick’s remains. However on the other hand, scientific analysis has found that the remains are closely linked to Native American tribes. In my viewpoint, there is only one way for this high profile case to be settled; if one of the parties compromises and concedes defeat. At the same time, it is only right if the Kennewick Man’s kin get rights to the remains so that they can bury him well in line with their culture.