54. Possible Relatives in the Americas

The NAGPRA Follies:
Ancient human finds in the USA endangered or destroyed

by George Weber

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is a US law that was passed in 1990. The law's intentions were honorable and ever so politically correct but (as tends to happen when idealism trimphs over common sense) its practical implementation and effects in real life have been destructive and obscurantist.

On the official web-site of the US National Park Service of the US Department of the Interior the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is described as providing "a process for museums and Federal agencies to return certain Native American cultural items - human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony - to lineal descendants, culturally affiliated Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations. The trouble with this remarkably badly thought-out piece of legislation is that "lineal descendancy "can only be established through scientific examination of the finds - which is precisely what the act is supposed to prevent on request.

Under NAGPRA archaeological finds have to be re-buried (i.e. destroyed) if the Amerind tribes on whose lands they were found require this. Some tribes do and some do not. Some fear by the tribes of being reduced to relative "newcomers" by archaeological finds is understandable and should not be ridiculed.However, even if it is found that an older and not "lineally related" people once lived on their tribal land, the present Amerind occupants of that land still remain its oldest living occupants . It is as if in Europe the current inhabitants of an area who moved there, say, after the demise of the Roman Empire 1600 years ago could decide whether Neanderthal remains or objects found on their land may be studied or reburied. It is an unworthy law for any American, whether Amerind or later immigrant. Re-burying evidence is not a good way to establish present-day credentials - it gives the impression that there is something to hide and it is noticeable that finds that "show no affinity to modern Amerindian groups" are those most embattled.

The Kennewick Man case has been fought by the local tribes and the scientists. It ended in 2006 with a decision that scientific research on Kennewick man is permissible and immediate reburial cannot be enforced. It is a hopeful sign that in the Kennewick case the tribes involved have, over the long years that the case dragged on, begun to develop an interest ain nd understanding of the scientific case. It is a first ray of hope in the sorry story of the NAGPRA. the Spirit Cave Man's case, on the other hand, seem to be set to go on forever. His remains have been mostly locked up in a box since 1940.

The following is a list prepared by the Friends of America's Past. We have added some comments and illustrations and list only those finds from the Friends' list that predate 9,000 years.

Buhl Woman (Idaho)

ca. 10,600 years old
Found in quarry in 1989
Reburied in 1991 by Shoshone Bannock tribes
Destroyed and lost to science

17-20 years old at death
In excellent condition
Cranium and post cranium
Limited study done with no opportunity for independent verification
No DNA testing done

Reanalysis of published data shows no affinity to modern Amerindian groups in the Jantz/Owsley database

For further information see http://www.cabrillo.edu/~crsmith/buhl.html

Spirit Cave Man (Nevada)

ca. 10,600 years old
Found August 1940 in cave in Carson Sink area by G. and S.M. Wheeler
Stored in box
Endangered since 1994

40-44 year old at death
Male mummy
In excellent condition
Cranium and post cranium
With associated remains of a cremation (probable female, about 14 years old at death)
Some studies conducted
No DNA testing done (requests denied)

Discussions in progress with Northern Paiute tribes since 1995
Curated at the Nevada State Museum, Carson City

Shows no affinities to modern Amerindian groups in the Jantz/Owsley database
and differs from other prehistoric and historic Nevada Indians,
shares characteristics with some Asians (Ainu) and Kennewick Man

The Spirit Cave man: left his skull, right a reconstruction based on the skull form
(whether his eyes were indeed brown is, of course, pure speculation).

TheSpirit Cave site is located in the Stillwater Range east of Fallon.Precise, archaeological site locations are protected under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979, and they are also exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. Archaeologists holding valid state and federal antiquities permits can access the Spirit Cave site location through the BLM or State Historic Preservation Office.  However, competing site records complicate matters with differing site locations for Spirit Cave, with up to 5 miles of difference between locations.

Wizards Beach Man (Nevada)

ca. 10,000 years old
Found in 1978 when drought lowered level of Pyramid Lake
Locked up 1998 by government because of dispute over ownership with tribes
Inaccesible to science and public
Discussions on repatriation in progress with the Paiute tribes

30-42 years old at death
Cranium and post cranium, robust individual
Some studies conducted
DNA tests conducted
Curated at the Nevada State Museum, Carson City

Shows some similarities to modern Amerinds

Nevada Sites (red are sites mentioned in more detail on this site) 1 Guano Mountain (Fishbone Cave, Crypt Cave) 2 Falcon Hill (Cramer cave, Shrub Ox) 3 Wizards Beach (Wizards Beach Man, Ivory Point, Fishing Cordage) 4 Brady's Hot Spring (Dansie Site, Harvey Clovis Site, Jessup Embayment to NE, Crew and Frock sites to ESE) 5 Sadmat Locality (Pebble Mount Site) 6 Humboldt Sink (Leonard Rock Shelter) 7 Grimes Point (Spirit Cave, Hidden Cave, Grimes Point Burial Shelter, Petroglyphs) 8 Walker River Canyon (McGee Point, Bone Beds) 9 Rye Patch Reservoir (Old Humboldt Site, Farmdalian Fossil Site) 10 Handprint Cave (above high shoreline) 11 Black Roco Desert, Quinn River Arm (Wallmann Mammoth, Wallmann Bison,CLovis sites) 12 Duck Flat (Giant Short Faced Bear in Tufa Dome)   Map courtesy Mammoth Trumpet, Center for the Study of the First Americans

Grimes Point Burial Shelter (Nevada)

ca. 9,700 years old
Discussions on repatriation in progress with the Northern Paiute tribes

Probable female 8.5 - 10.5 years old
Cranium and some post cranium (bones need dating)
Some study done
No DNA testing - requests denied
Curated at the Nevada State Museum, Carson City

The Grimes Point site is also noted for its rock carvings and petroglyphs

No affinities have been established

Anzick Child (Montana)

10,800 years old
Found 1974
Bones threatened by new Montana law (the artefacts are exempt)

The baby must have been born into a very special family, for it was buried formally with an arsenal of flint weapons of the very highest quality

Baby about 18 months old
Fragments of the skull, the left collarbone, or clavicle, and three ribs
Another skull fragment also found at the site is of a different age (ca. 8,000 years old)
Has been dated several times
Some studies conducted
Some DNA testing done

No affilinities have been established

Anzick is so far the only Clovis site known to be associated with human remains.Clovis is one of the major and widespread prehistoric tool types in America so the almost complete absence of human remains from Clovis sites is, to put it mildly, surprising and so far unexplained.   Samples of Clovis tools found at the Anzick site Far left: Stone tools, the typical Clovisa Points. These tend ot be larger, the largest found so far was 9 inches ( ca. 23 cm long Left: Bevelled ivory rods

Whitewater Draw (Arizona)

8,000-10,000 years old

Two individuals: one skeleton submitted to to be inventoried for NAGPRA , the other curated by the Peabody Museum
Some studies conducted
DNA testing done

No affiliations have been established

Arlington Springs woman (California)

see Arlington Springs Human on this site

Gordon Creek, (Colorado)

9,700 years old
Active repatriation of remains possible

Probable female
ome studies conducted
No DNA testing - requests denied
Curated at the University of Colorado

No affiliations have been established

Wilson-Leonard (Texas)

9,000-11,000 years old
Site found 19173, excavation 1981-1984

Skeleton in 'compressed' condition
Some studies conducted
DNA testing done

No affiliations have been established

Responsibility of the Texas Department of Highway Transportation and c
Curated at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, University of Texas, Austin 

Among web-sites with further information on the subject are:

- http://www.csasi.org/2000_july_journal/earliest%20americans.htm

- http://www.si.edu/resource/Faq/nmnh/origin.htm

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Last change 15 September 2006