Remains of 8,400-year-old 'Kennewick Man' will come home for burial

Congress has approved a process that will send 8,400-year-old remains known as the Ancient One or Kennewick Man home to the Columbia Basin where area tribes and descendants will provide burial at an undisclosed location.

A provision in a federal water bill, sent to President Obama for his signature, ends a 20-year fight over the remains.

The legislation transfers the Ancient One from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the Washington Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation, which has the authority to arrange repatriation.

"This victory would not have been possible without the determination, collaboration and leadership of the claimant tribes of the Columbia River plateau, who impressed upon me just how much it meant to them for Congress to end decades of debate and give them the opportunity to give their descendant a proper burial and final resting place," said Sen. Patty Murray.

JoDe Goudy, chairman of the Yakama Nation Tribal Council, said:

"We come from this land and when we pass, we return to this land as did our relative the Ancient One. ... Now with help from our friends in Congress, he will be returned so he may finally rest. I, and many others, wish this fight has not taken 20 years as this has been a long and tumultuous journey."

The remains of a nearly complete male skeleton were discovered in 1996 on federal land near the Columbia River.

They constitute one of the oldest and most complete skeletons ever found in North America.  Scientists have wanted to study the skeleton, which has remained stored at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington.

The 20-year controversy over the remains even produced a memorable headline blooper -- "Kennewick Man Wins Lottery" -- in a central Washington newspaper.

Scientists won a federal court ruling in 2004, but such Native American groups as the Yakama Nation, Nez Perce Tribe, the Wanapum Band of Priest Rapids and Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation have pressed their case for burial.

They have long asked that the remains be returned under a federal law known as the Native American Graves Protection and Reparation Act.

Last year, Dr. Eske Willerslev of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark released new findings rooted in additional scientific studies on previously sampled remains from the Ancient One.

Willerslev's testing and resulting analysis concluded that the Ancient One remains are Native American with a direct link to today's Columbia Basin tribes.

The return of the remains saw a return of bipartisan cooperation to the Washington congressional delegation.

Sen. Murray spearheaded efforts in the Senate, while U.S. Reps. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., and Denny Heck, D-Wash., worked for return in the House.