I agree with you that the stifling of inquiry into Kennewick man's origin is shocking and unsupportable. However, I think the real blame lies with the American Indians, or at least the politically active ones, who find Kennewick man to be inconvenient.
I actually have a dog in this fight, as I am part American Indian, albeit a lot smaller part than I thought. It's fashionable now, you see, so my family built it up more than they really should have. But I don't see what is to be gained by denying that Kennewick man shares a common ancestry with the majority of American Indians.
As the much-maligned Reagan once malapropped, facts are stupid things. Yes, they are, but they are also ineluctable.
If a different strain of humanity came here thousands of years ago, whether across the Bering Straight, or by another route, it doesn't damage anyone in any way to recognize it.
Well, maybe I don't have enough American Indian blood to have the right to have a say in this matter, but I can tell you that I want to know the answer. |
