After a 20-plus year legal battle over who he 'belonged' to, the skeletal remains of Kennewick Man were returned to the earth by a confederation of Native American tribes. The location will not be disclosed to anyone except those who were part of the ceremony.
It will take a while to reconcile the House and Senate bills, but the 8,000-plus year old skeleton known as "Kennewick Man" is closer to being returned to a group of Indian tribes for reburial.
Since 1996, the remains of Kennewick Man, or the Ancient One as he is called by Native American tribes, has been a political and scientific issue. On one hand is the Federal law concerning the repatriation and reburial of discovered Native American remains, on the other is one of the more significant scientific and historical discoveries of our time.
On the heels of news that DNA testing as shown the skeleton known as "Kennewick Man" to be a Native American, the Yakama Tribe issued a statement Thursday demanding his return to the tribe, for the purpose of re-burial.