Customer Reviews

Ancient Encounters: Kennewick Man and the First Americans

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I read Dr. Chatters' book in one sitting, and highly recommend it to ALL readers interested in the earliest peoples of the Americas. As the first scientist (& one of the few) to observe the Kennewick skeleton, and having been directly involved in the controversy which has swirled around the remains, this is clearly a very personal account for Chatters. It really comes across that he'd probably NOT have chosen to be embroiled in this sort of issue; but he is uncompromising in his conclusion: the bones are NOT those of an individual we call "American Indian".
The history of the find and ensuing battles between scientists, native groups, and the government is riveting (and unpromising to the future of archaeology in this country). Chatters also goes the extra mile and compares his find to all the other known ancient American skeletal remains, which gives this book a general picture of the state of "early Americans" studies which ensures that I will use this book as a text for my upcoming course on the subject.
A couple of minor things keeps this book from being "perfect", in my opinion. First, since he trusts us to follow the "Caucasoid-but-not-Caucasian" osteological discussion, it could have been enhanced by some simple diagram of the 3 major modern skull "ethnic" groups, showing major points where early Americans do and DO NOT resemble these types. Second, although there were ample references in the endnotes, a few assertions were tossed off and never referenced (The one that bothered me most: mention of a biface-and-blade stone tool technology in Japan that is a putative ancestor to Clovis technology in the Americas. As a stone tool specialist, I know of no such technology which is acclaimed as similar to Clovis, and an extensive search-in lieu of any original reference Chatters might have supplied-turned up nothing new.)
However, general readers will not be bothered by these tiny esoteric omissions. It is the definitive account of Kennewick Man, and was told in an exciting fashion that puts most fictional mysteries to shame. Bravo, Dr. Chatters.

Liam is partially right---the first 100 or so pages ARE about the legal and cultural tug-of-war this discovery has generated. The remainder of the book (the majority) is about the research process and what THAT generated. Dr. Chatters and his colleagues used some cutting-edge technology (fascinating in its own right)to glean information from the bones of Kennewick Man. They found many tantalizing clues about how and when the Americas were populated. And descriptions of their work as medical detectives is utterly compelling! I feel like I really know something about this man, his life, and his people. The information gathered by Dr. Chatters and his team also helped with the identification of other, "mystery" bones. For example, "Stick Man" was a partial skull which had been sitting around a museum for untold years, awaiting analysis. Chatters noticed some similarities between it and Kennewick Man. Research determined that it was about the same age as Kennewick Man. The soil which had accreted inside inside the "Stick Man" skull was similar to the soil in which Kennewick Man was found, and had pollens from plants native to the area in which Kennewick Man lived. The physiological similarities between the two skulls corroborated Chatters' theory that ancient Americans may not have looked like modern Native Americans, and this "unidentified" skull fragment finally had a label. Chatters' explanations of technical processes, and of theories such as genetic drift, are clear and concise. Most of the time, his writing style is unaffected and direct. This book is a far cry from the disorganized,hastily-written "Riddle of the Bones," by Roger Downey. Downey's book, which came out about a year ago, is about the same subject. It was very badly-written, but the information was so interesting that I was willing to wade through Downey's thicket of words and mispunctuation to get to it. Chatters' book was a DEFINITE relief.

Ancient Encounters is a fascinating read! The author's conversational style makes you forget the book is nonfiction. Although packed with scientific information, it reads like a novel. Chatters' ability to explain complicated subjects (like DNA testing) in a clear, concise, and engaging way makes this book accessible to non-scientists. Anybody interested in prehistory will have a hard time putting it down.

The story of the fight over Kennewick Man begins in 1996, with the discovery of a mystery skeleton in the mud of the Columbia River, near Kennewick, Washington, and, by its end, tells us more about our own strange modern world than it does about the K-man's long lost one.

Chatters recounts the struggle over K-man's remains in fascinating detail. His is a nonfiction work that also provides some of the satisfactions of a mystery and a thriller (so might want to jump over parts of this), as well as an absurdist tragicomedy. The last, thanks mostly to a US Army Corps of Engineers that exhibits all the serious scientific integrity and commitment to due process one might expect if a mad political scientist had managed to join Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks to the Spanish Inquisition.

Chatters' first reaction is that the skeleton belongs to some early colonial-era white pioneer; however, upon closer inspection, the remains prove to be much older. The initial examination is barely complete when the federal government, having jurisdiction over the excavation site, begins to seize K-man's remains to turn them over to local Indians.

The government declares that it is carrying out the provisions of the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), a law, according to Chatters, which is "being used by the Indian tribes to reclaim all ancient human skeletons, regardless of their age and often with little or no opportunity allowed for scientific investigation."

As the government begins to close in on K-man, Chatters hurriedly consults another anthropologist, a highly respected forensic competitor, in order to obtain an unbiased second opinion: `Male Caucasian,' she said. `You sure?' I asked. `Easy call,' was the firm response. `The face?' I probed. `White guy.' `Mandible?' `White guy.' ..."

On the day that lawmen were on their way, Chatters carefully arranges, describes and videotapes the bones, in hopes of saving as much scientific information as possible before K-man's ancient story would be boxed up, carried off, and forever buried in a secret location. Chatters stresses the gravity of the archaeological find, being only one of two complete early skeletons from the entire continent.

Chatters' emergency videotaping proves wise, since the government's level of stewardship turns out to be something less than Smithsonian. People, mostly Indians, pay visits to the remains, now kept in an unpadded box, after which some bones are found damaged, others destroyed, others go missing. The invaluable remains are also adulterated with newly introduced bones and various ceremonial materials. And, to obtain radiocarbon samples, the government employs a rotary saw on K-man's leg and foot bones with a feathery lightness of touch that might be more appropriate for hydroelectric damn demolition.

Fortunately, thanks to Chatters and allies, the courts begin holding hearings. But this doesn't stop the Interior Department from plunging ahead, making the determination that, yes, these completely non-Indian-looking bones most certainly must be surrendered to the Indians. On what evidence? Apparently, says Chatters: "geography" and "folklore."

Finally, incredibly, the Corps goes to the fragile archaeological site and dumps upon it 500 tons of rockfill. What possible explanation could they provide? `Protection.' (Bureaucratic Freudian Slip of the Year Award?)

Historically, what finally happened to these Paleo-Americans? Sketchy evidence points to a fertility rate that was only slightly above replacement, which would have made them "extremely vulnerable" to higher-fertility competing groups. (Hmmm, why does this sound familiar?)

This book provides a wonderful case study of a society--o harmonious Mecca of joyous "diversity"--that has become mired in a system of officially enforced racial victimhood, here, Indian division. Scientifically questioning any aspect of it is taboo, although the results can be pretty darn entertaining.

When the press latches onto Chatters' initial comment, that after surveying many faces he found K-man's face to most resemble that of "Star Trek" actor Patrick Stewart, Chatters goes out of his way to tamp down the resulting furor by disabusing anyone of the unscientific notion that K-man could possibly be considered `white.' (Long story short: K-man may predate modern races and represent only one of several waves of earliest migrations from hither and yon.) But after Chatters' sculptor friend, to create a K-man bust, pours over countless worldwide photographs, he finally finds "especially useful a movie that featured Clint Eastwood and Ed Harris ... the same narrow chins, square jaws and hollow cheeks of Kennewick Man."

Okay, think I got it: Cross between actors Patrick Stewart, Clint Eastwood and Ed Harris--but NOT WHITE!

The important thing, of course, is determining the scientific facts. Obviously, European Americans don't need to play a game of Who Got Here First? to know that America is their home, but it is amusing to see how threatened the media and others become when some whites express any racial affinity with Kennewick Man. Of course white people are the only group for whom any expression of ancestral or group pride is automatically considered "hate," "supremacy," or a sure sign that they are feverishly plotting world domination.

The truth about Paleo-Americans will be of special interest to some of European heritage, you know, those who "took the land away from the Indians." Obviously, what happened to the Indians, and whomever they replaced, was tragic, but this piously expressed refrain from liberals would be much more believable if I could find just one who is planning to return his property to the Indians and move back to Europe.

Under a growing barrage of criticism for decades, European Americans can be forgiven if they want to feel some measure of group pride. Pride, not just for possibly sharing some closer kinship with these ancient pioneers, but for the fact that the very concept of bold and unfettered scientific inquiry--in Chatters' case, standing up to legally enforce mythology and bumbling bureaucratic tyranny--is in itself an invention of Europeans.

In short: Fine book, outstanding scientist, brave man.

A first-rate, well-written work. Essentially, the book is divided into two parts: The first deals with the discovery of Kennewick Man's bones along a riverbank, and the subsequent combination of controversy, government ineptitude, and racial politics that prevented proper study of one of the most important anthropological finds of recent memory. Chatters relates his limited time with the bones of the ancient man in a lively manner, explaining various terms and theories in an easy to understand way. Most interesting is the morass of legality and accusations of racism that prevented Chatters and others from giving the skeleton the attention it deserved (despite the fact that Chatters had worked dilligently in the past to help reclaim and identify Native remains, so that they could be returned to the proper tribes). Under the guise of NAGPRA (which--when it works--allows Native Americans to rightfully reclaim skeletons and artifacts taken from Native American graves and sacred sites), local Native American tribes claimed the skeleton as an ancestor, despite mounting evidence that not only was he not a descendant of any of the local tribes, but was more akin to Polynesian/Aboriginal peoples, with traces of European ancestry. Undeterred by the evidence, and backed by gutless government bureaucrats, the tribes scored a victory and Kennewick Man may be forever lost to those who wished to study and learn from his remains. Still, Chatters and others were able to glean a fair amount of information from their limited time with the skeleton; the second half of the book deals principally with what they learned and how this discovery, coupled with emerging evidence from other sites, is changing what we know about the peopling of the Americas. Chatters devotes much of the second half to theory and speculation; it's interesting, but not as exciting as the whirlwind of events surrounding the initial discovery. Still, it rekindled my interest in anthropology and ancient America; people who like this may also enjoy "Iceman" by Brenda Fowler, and "The Settlement of the Americas" by UK professor Tom Dillehay. Excellent work.

James Chatters is a professional forensic anthropologist, paleoecologist, and archeologist working in Washington state. As such he became involved in the recent finding of the so-called Kennewick Man and the political furor over the disposition of the remains. The book is an in-depth discussion of almost every aspect of the discovery: the initial find, the socio-political conflict over it, the brief analysis of the remains, and the overall enlightment that it casts on human migrations.

For Native American activists the issue was one of yet another example of dispossession of by those of European descent, this time in the name of science. For "science" here read the "manifest destiny" of the 19th century proponents of the westward expansion that led to a systematic, almost Hitleresque genocide of the indigenous inhabitants of the continent. The active political voices of the Native American activists since the 1960s had led to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) in the 1990s, and the discovery of the skeletal remains of an early American eroded from a river bank in 1996 put the laws to a critical test, one that is still yet to be settled.

For the scientists the issue was of information irretrievably lost to the store of human knowledge about the past. For this issue read "truth" forever vanquished by the "superstition" of the dark side. Certainly in a time when the validity of science education is challenged by every Tom, Dick and Harry with an opinion, when the average person is unable to think critically, when the media are rife with occult nonsense, and when "reality" TV occupies whole evenings of family time one can hardly blame them for suspecting as much!

For myself, I find the research into the human past to be an intriguing pursuit. I read Dr. Chatter's book in about a day, hanging on every word. I have to admit, though, that most of my friends and co-workers consider me an eccentric, so I know for a fact that not every one holds my high opinion of this field of endeavor. I can therefore see why Native American people, given their history with their European neighbors, might consider the analysis of the Kennewick remains as a dangerous effort to once again dispossess them, this time of what they consider to be their history and right of priority in the land.

The book brings into sharp relief that the confrontation was due to two groups of people each approaching the world with their own view and lacking understanding of the perspective of the other. It also points out, just as the brewhaha over the Ice Man in Europe did, just how much a part politics, ego, and media involvement has to do with disputes of this sort. One can only hope that in the future, scientists and Native American groups can work together with greater accord. Certainly what was discovered about the Kennewick man gave me more respect for the closeness of the global human population and for the successful adaptation of the early American people to a difficult set of circumstances.

One of the most interesting things I found from the discussion of the remains of the Kennewick specimen is that the human populations living today are more like one another than they are like their distant predecessors. In short, human evolution, at least on a superficial level, is on-going. Our decedents several thousand years hence will also be different. This was a riveting and well written book.

You don't often find a science book that falls into the "reads-like-an-Agatha-Christie-can't-put-it-down" category, but James Chatters has managed to present an account of Kennewick Man that is as readable as it is informative and thought-provoking. I highly recommend Ancient Encounters: Kennewick Man and the First Americans.

The 9,500-year-old Kennewick skeleton has challenged conventional thinking about the original populations of the Americas, and Dr. Chatters walks us through the anthropological complexities with clarity and balance. As the forensic specialist who first studied the bones, Chatters employs the skeleton's pathologies as a kind of artist's palette with which to paint a vivid picture of the perilous world of the early hunter-gatherers. They did not enjoy the idyllic existence we might dream of.

But this is more than a book about science. It is also an eye-opening look at the politics of science, revealed through the sometimes hour-by-hour account of Dr. Chatters's desperate efforts to study Kennewick Man before the bones were impounded. The rational, detached world of scientific inquiry they told us about in ninth grade science class does not exist -- through Dr. Chatters's experience we confront an Orwellian world where government bureaucracy, special interest groups and political ideology manipulate the scientific process, and where those who do not follow the politically correct line risk being blacklisted by a new McCarthyism. Nevertheless, Chatters maintains a refreshing open mindedness and presents a balanced view of the complex issues.

James Chatters has a rare gift for combining clear exposition with vivid storytelling. I hope he will write more.

This is one of the best books I've read. ever. Chatters not only shares his own theories, but he also gives the reader a complete picture of what theories are out there regarding the first Americans. When he recounts the details of the Kennewick man hearings, he doesn't slander those on the other side of the debate, but rather tries to give the reader the best view of what occured, though you can tell that the destructive actions of the corps sadden him. This is one of the easiest and most interesting reads. From the introduction where he theorizes about Kennewick man's death in story format, to the lawsuit over his remains, to the very detailed and great information about the morphology of the skull, and how it is similar to each group that is existent now and how it differs. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in archaeology.

The discovery of the remains of the Kennewick man on the shores of the Columbia River in the Tri-City area of Washington State was truely a spectacular discovery.
This man was not related to any of the present aboriginal tribes, and it was very important that Mr. Chatters, true to his profession, followed through with his research.
It is important to all of us that the correct answers to the question, who, where, and when the early settlers came to this continent, can be determined.
For the local aboriginal tribes wanting to bury the remains of Kennewick man, without a proper detemination, is absurd.
One reason is that perhaps the Kennewick man is part of a much bigger discovery. Or perhaps his real tribe moved on to California, or Texas. Keep in mind, this man came from somewhere, perhaps somewhere along the Columbia River in Canada. Maybe along the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the river.
The federal laws that govern these discoveries must take in to account the scientific requirements for all of us, not for just a few.
This book was well written and covered the situation well, and most importantly, the value of the discovery of the Kennewick man was so important that we now know more about the first peoples long gone, at least in this part Washington State.

Gripping story, however missing essential information that I don't think was supplied in the text, specifically; what ever happened to the DNA evidence from the phalange that Chatters first supplied? With haplotype of mitrochondrial DNA the journey from Africa to North America could be determined (L, M, N?).