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| Dr. Esky Willerslev listens as Colville Tribal chairman Jim Boyd speaks during an announcement regarding Kennewick Man being tied to Colville tribal DNA samples. |
SEATTLE – Representatives from five tribes smiled as they posed for a photograph with Dr. Eske Willerslev following a press conference revealing results that affirmed the tribes’ longstanding belief Kennewick Man was an ancestor of regional tribes.
Not long before the picture, representatives of the Yakama and Umatilla adamantly opposed the very DNA sampling that allowed for the celebration.
But the 22 volunteered samples provided by the Colville Confederated Tribes helped make an important link from the 8,500-year old remains to the plateau tribes, according to Willerslev, who answered questions at the Burke Museum in Seattle following the publishing of an article by Nature magazine.
"If we had not had the Colville sample for comparison, we wouldn't have been able to say anything about what was the relationship between plateau tribes to Kennewick man," he said. "We would have absolutely no data to say anything about that. From the scientific statement... this was a very valuable contribution."
Willerslev gained trust from Colville Tribal representatives, who brought a discussion to tribal members, including elders, Boyd said.
"I said it's up to you," he said, "but I'm willing to do the comparison if you are providing the DNA. But you have to be aware that because I'm a scientist, I have to go with the results, no matter what the results are."
The results helped Willerslev determine a "very, very clear" link to Kennewick Man's Native American ancestry.
"We find that the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to be one of the groups showing close affinities to Kennewick Man or at least to the population to which he belonged,” Willerslev stated in a press release.
The Colvilles acknowledged the choice to give DNA samples was controversial among their fellow tribes, but saw it as an opportunity to prove what they already knew, according to Boyd.
“Because of the way science has treated our people in the past, it was a tough decision to actually submit,” Boyd said. “We’re happy for the outcome. The outcome was good. But we knew what the outcome was.”
The findings now make Kennewick Man eligible to be repatriated via the Native American Graves Protection Act, according to Boyd. The remains are currently stored at the Burke Museum in Seattle and belong to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, after they were found on federal land in Kennewick in 1996.
Collectively, the five tribes, including the Wanapum and Nez Perce, have a future, private plan for the reburial, if it occurs, according to Armand Minthorn of the Confederated Umatilla Tribes.
“It’s very good we have evidence now,” Boyd said, “but we’re still in a process.”
Complete coverage of the event planned for the June 25 issue of Tribal Tribune.
Editor's note: A correction to this article was made at 3:30 p.m. regarding the DNA samples.
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