RE: Kennewick Man and other subjects

[Adam Levenstein <cleon42@xxxxxxxxx>]

Jim,

I know it is so tempting to criticize someone else's
arguments and position without actually having *read*
(or listened to) that person's *actual* arguments and
position, but could you and Louis *please* stop
beating up these bizarre strawmen?

I am not questioning, criticizing, or proposing to
limit the sovereignty of Native Americans/First
Nations. Please get that straight. Nor, as Louis keeps
repeating, am I suggesting that science is "above" the
class struggle.

Now, much as I expect you and Louis to flame me some
more, let me go over the facts as I understand them,
followed by my positions:

1. A skeleton has been discovered, roughly 9000 years
old, of a man wounded/killed by some sort of
spear/arrow.
2. A preliminary analysis shows skeletal features that
are not characteristic of the local natives.
3. A coalition of sevral groups, with the Umatillas
leading the effort, have claimed the remains under
NAGPRA.
4. NAGPRA holds that any human remains found over 500
years old must be repatriated to the group that can
show a "cultural affiliation" with said remains.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about any of the
above.

My positions:

1. The Umatillas have every right to sovereignty, and
every right to the remains - if the remains are
associated with the Umatillas, or a group ancestral to
the Umatillas.
2. Since archaeologists know - not think, *know* -
that there were Europeans in the Americas going back
as far as 1000 years (and some intriguing evidence in
Brazil has been uncovered suggesting possible African
contact), NAGPRA's "500-year" rule doesn't make a
whole heluva lot of sense and should be modified.
3. A DNA test should be performed to find out *which*
tribe/nation, if any, has the right to claim cultural
affiliation. (The Feds have blocked one such effort
that was already in progress.) And the remains should
be repatriated to the group that can claim such
affiliation.

That's it. No "Adam wants the Feds to control the
remains," no "Mean racist Adam thinks the 'Injuns'
don't have the right to bury their dead." Nothing like
that. More of a "before we automatically ship the poor
guy off to some group he might not have any connection
with, we should figure out what we're dealing with"
attitude.

Adam

(BTW, further emails I find insulting will be trashed
without response. If you've got no better way of
expressing yourself, you're clearly not worth my time.)

=====
Adam Levenstein                          cleon42@xxxxxxxxx
ICQ: 17125158

And now, for something completely different.

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