The remains of a prehistoric man discovered nearly two decades ago may make it out of the museum and back home to his descendants.
That is if a bill that was passed to return it to its tribesmen is approved.
U.S. Senator Patty Murray introduced the bill on Monday to bring back Kennewick Man to the Columbia Basin tribes.
Specifically, the legislation aims to return Kennewick Man from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineering to Washington's Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, which in turn would return the remains to the tribes.
The U.S. senator believes it is time to return the remains to their rightful place, after about two decades of scientific studying and legal wrangling.
"This is simply the right thing to do, and the sooner we begin the process of repatriation, the sooner we can ensure we are honoring the wishes of the Kennewick Man's descendants," Murray added.
Area tribes including the Wanapum Band of Priest Rapids, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation, Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation gathered together to call out for Kennewick Man's return to his descendants.
In July 1996, the nearly complete remains of the Kennewick Man, also called the Ancient One, were discovered in a bank of the Columbia River in Kennewick. Will Thomas and David Deacy accidentally bumped into Kennewick Man's skull in a reservoir on the river at Columbia Park, as they had gone to attend the annual hydroplane races. The rest of the remains were scattered on the reservoir due to erosion. Fortunately, the skeleton was almost complete.
The remains were examined by archaeologist James Chatters. He visited the site for about ten times and was able to put together an intact cranium with a complete set of teeth and all major bones except the sternum and some bones of the Ancient One's hands and feet, adding up to around 350 bones.
The Kennewick Man was initially identified as a Caucasoid, an almost six-feet-tall, muscular and slender male who most likely died at late middle age, around 40 to 55 years.
The 8,400-year-old Kennewick Man, which is currently at the University of Washington's Burke Museum, is one of the oldest yet most complete skeletons ever discovered. Latest discovery in June found that the Ancient One lives close to the modern Native Americans more than any other population in the world.
