New Wrangle Over Kennewick (Man) Bones

BBC ^ | 7-21-2004 | Paul Rincon

[RightWhale]

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (Nagpra), the law enacted in 1990 to protect tribal burials

Use of the term tribal is either inappropriate and unconstitutional, building another layer of interpretation on the Constitution that wasn't there in the beginning, or any burial is tribal whatever society or family does it. A natural burial in sediment might not be considered a tribal burial. As for drilling a piece of bone--we commonly do much more than that these days; we reduce entire skeletons to ash and blast them to the moon.

[Question_Assumptions]

You might be amazed by how many young liberals buy into the "Europe was populated by peaceful matriarchal hunter-gatherers who worshipped a mother goddess and mastered fertility with herbs until those awful patriarchal murdering farmers showed up from the Middle East to oppress women and create warfare" theory. See Lawrence Keeley's War Before Civilization for some interesting examples.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

The Americas were not nearly as mono-genetic as believed.

There are plenty of pre-colombian tales of groups that looked very different from one another from blonds and red heads to very dark skin but not African possibly from India. Or perhaps some thing else entirely different. Of course there are the Omlec's who's stone heads look Polynesian or African. And the Zuni's who are as different from the surrounding tribes as the Basques are from their neighbors in Europe.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I quit reading pre-history fiction for just that reason. I have ocationally toyed with the idea of writing my own book just to turn those notions on their head and annoy people. If I never sold volume one the outraged howls would almost be worth it. Maybe some day when I retire and have the time I'll do it.

I've read Keeley but I liked "Constant Battles: The Myth of the Peaceful, Noble Savage" by LeBlanc better.

[stanz]

Please keep me on the ping list. Although I don't often have a chance to post, I do print the threads for future reads. You have really been diligent ---kudos to you.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Doubt it, since "Kennewick Man" was most likely not Caucosoid either - more than likely of South Asian origin, I'm guessing.

[Chad Fairbanks]

You should write that book. Can I be the main blood-thirsty savage guy? Huh? Huh? can I? ;)

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Maybe a supporting role. Don't sneer at it. Most of those books are a thousand pages. A supporting role has lots of juicy meat on it.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Cool, cuz so do I! ;0)

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Not going to touch that one.

Oui's a good girl Oui iz.

[Question_Assumptions]

Keeley's book influenced LeBlanc, though he certainly had his own tangles with the politically correct elite. LeBlanc cited Keeley in the preface to his Prehistoric Warfare in the American Southwest, but I suppose I should check out his treatment of the subject, too. If you want to see something really interesting, you should take a look at who Keeley's most visible detractor is and what else he believes in...