Clay reconstruction

Update: A federal judge ruled Friday that scientists can study the 9,000 year old body known as "Kennewick Man", ending a six year custody battle over the remains.

The remains have been the center of a legal scuffle between scientists, who say studying Kennewick Man will provide further insight into early human life, and the federal government, which wants to give the bones to a Native American tribe.

The Kennewick Man, believed to be the oldest and most complete set of skeletal remains in North America, was discovered on federal land in Washington State near the Columbia River in July 1996.

The ruling was a disappointment for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, who said the remains should be buried in a traditional Native American ceremony. (9/3/02)

Oregon Public Broadcasting reports on reaction to the Kennewick Man decision. (8/30/02)

Lee Hochberg reports on the legal battle over the 9,000-year-old bones of Kennewick Man. (6/19/01)

Forum: Experts respond to questions about the Kennewick Man case. (6/01)

Timeline: An accidental discovery triggers a legal showdown.

Anthropologists and Native American tribes clash over rights to a 9,000-year-old skeleton. (1/3/97)

News for Students: He's been dead for 9,000 years, but everyone wants a piece of the man with a spear wound.

Kennewick Man may hold clues to the earliest human inhabitants of the Americas.

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