Kennewick Man scientists fear NAGPRA amendment
Friday, July 15, 2005

The group of scientists who won the right to study the remains of the 9,000-year-old Kennewick Man said a Senate bill could stop their work.

Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) is sponsoring S.536, described as a technical corrections act. It would change the definition of "Native American" under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act to clarify that the law applies to remains and artifacts of tribes that are, or were, indigenous to the United States.

The change came about due to battle over Kennewick Man. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the definition of Native American doesn't apply to remains or artifacts that may or may not be connected to present-day tribes.

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which McCain chairs, will hold an oversight hearing on NAGPRA on July 28




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