Essential to whom, for what? Interesting, maybe, but "essential"? Everyone's doing just fine knowing nada about Kennewick Man.
whom?
Me for one!
"Essential to whom, for what? Interesting, maybe, but "essential"? Everyone's doing just fine knowing nada about Kennewick Man."
It's essential for science and for America because the vast majority of citizens past and present have been under the impression they "stole" the land, and that we don't belong here and that our voices should be silenced on matters such as immigration because we're "bad white man." What if it turns out white man was exterminated by the Indians? Or another people such as Polynesians? Maybe KM was mixed race?
I don't want my kids to be told they don't belong in America because of the color of their skin. That's what I learned. White guilt, enforced in history class.
This is monumental, regardless of the ethnicity of Kennewick man. We and all of our ancestors have been taught and untruth. It's now time to let all Americans know how truly diverse our nation is.
What is essential, tax chick, is that Americans don't learn the truth about their nation's heritage, because if we do, what do the so-called native Americans have to hold over our head for their government checks and casinos?
One of the...ahem...bones of contention vis-a-vis Kennewick Man is that his skeletal proportions suggest he is some race other than Asian/American Indian. Some scientists speculate that he might be CAUCASIAN.
As to why that is important, if scientists can prove that a caucasian man was here prior to the generally-agreed upon arrival of the ancestors of American Indians, it has HUGE political implications. Most of which would bad for the tribes.
Which is why they fought to keep the skeleton unstudied.
After all, how can American Indians continue to gin up the grievance machine with cries of "we were here first!" if someone can prove that someone else was here before they were?
I believe that the word "essential" is used here in the context of the study of the skeleton. The baseline infomation is essential to any further study of the bones.
Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise. I suppose. Whether or not it's fair many people claim moral or legal rights based on a bizarre system of racial primogeniture. The tribes are acutely aware of this and any information undermining their claims has profound practical significance.