Tribe Blasts Kennewick Man DNA Tests

Feb. 2 -- The Umatilla Indians are outraged about plans for DNA tests on the bones of Kennewick Man.

Interior Department officials said Monday the 9,000-year-old remains would be tested to try to determine the culture and ancestry of Kennewick Man.

Tests Likely Not Conclusive“These studies are not being done to prove cultural affiliation,” said Jeff Van Pelt, cultural resources manager for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation. “They are being done to appease the scientists and the court.”

U.S. Magistrate John Jelderks said last year that any decision on Kennewick Man without DNA tests would be suspect.

Stephanie Hanna, a department spokeswoman, said Tuesday the agency would consult with tribal leaders over the next few weeks on the testing.

“Consultation does not require approval or disapproval by the tribes,” Hanna said. Scientists suing for the right to study the bones found in the Columbia River in 1996 have long pushed for DNA testing.

Cleone Hawkinson, an assistant for the scientists, said DNA evidence is more likely to rule out possibilities rather than prove them.

“It is a real long shot to try to say anything meaningful on the cultural affiliation question (with a DNA test),” Hawkinson said. “On the other hand, they are doing science, so the scientific position is winning time after time.”

Umatilla trustee Armand Minthorn said science was ill-served by DNA tests.

“There is overwhelming scientific evidence that indicates DNA testing can prove nothing more than what they already know, that the remains are Native American,” he said.

A Native American By Law

Last month the government declared the bones legally Native American under a 10-year-old law designed to protect ancient remains.

Now the agency is trying to link the skeleton to modern people, such as the five Pacific Northwest tribes that claim Kennewick Man as an ancestor.

“What is at issue in this case is not just our desire to protect one ancestor, but how this case will be applied to every other Native American skeleton found in the United States,” Minthorn said. “This case has made it painfully clear that a small group of scientists, with the assistance of the Department of the Interior, can abrogate that right … to protect our ancestors.”