RIDDLE OF THE BONES: POLITICS, SCIENCE, RACE, AND THE STORY OF KENNEWICK MAN

Downey, Roger

ISBN 10: 0387988777 / ISBN 13: 9780387988771

Published by Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., New York, NY, 2000

About this Item

In 1996, the skeletal remains of a man who lived 9,000 years ago were found near the Columbia River in Washington State. Nicknamed "Kennewick Man," the remains set off a battle between Native Americans (and their Clinton Administration supporters) who believed the remains and the site to be sacred and archaeologists and other researchers who saw the remains as a unique treasure-trove of scientific information. Included are endnotes and an index. This copy is clean and solid.

Seller Inventory # 006513

Bibliographic Details

• Title: RIDDLE OF THE BONES: POLITICS, SCIENCE, RACE, AND THE STORY OF KENNEWICK MAN
• Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., New York, NY
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0387988777
• ISBN 13: 9780387988771
• Binding: Cloth
• Edition: First Edition
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine

About this title

Synopsis

From its discovery in the Columbia River shallows three years ago, reporter Roger Downey has chronicled the epic adventures of the skeleton called "Kennewick Man": first as pretext for a media feeding-frenzy, then as centerpiece of a legal circus pitting celebrated scientists against Native Americans, the Corps of Engineers, and the Clinton White House, finally, at the long last, as object of rational scientist study. The saga of Kennewick Man offers abundant opportunity to explore todays rapidly changing scientific theories about how the Americans first came to be settled, and by whom. But it also casts light on the divisions within the fields of anthropology and archaeology concerning the role of politics and race in the pursuit of scientific goals, what constitutes ethical procedure in dealing with ancient remains, and the very purpose and direction of the scientific enterprise itself.

About the Author

Roger Downey attended the College of the University of Chicago and the University of Washington before stumbling into a career in journalism with the Seattle "underground paper" Helix in 1969. Since 1976, he has written for Seattle Weekly, while pursuing a career as playwright and translator.