Controversy
The process of identifying race adds to the idea that race is biological and not a social concept. Though it is used with good intentions and to help the identification of those who have passed, it still remains rather controversial. Many Forensic Anthropologists agree that “the successful assignment of race to a skeletal specimen is not a vindication of the race concept, but rather a prediction that an individual, while alive was assigned to a particular socially constructed ‘racial’ category. A specimen may display features that point to African ancestry. In this country that person is likely to have been labeled Black regardless of whether or not such a race actually exists in nature” (Sauer, 1992). However, these predictions can sometimes be false. These false predictions often come from a place of racism, though most forensic anthropologists are rather progressive today, this wasn’t always the case.
One such example of false racial identification was the case surrounding the remains of the Kennewick man. The Kennewick man was the name given to the skeletal remains of a prehistoric Paleoamerican man found on a bank of the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington, on July 28, 1996. The controversy stemmed from the argument about who had claim over the remains, the Indigenous tribe who’s land it was found on, or the scientists who found it? The fight over ownership hit headlines and was highly discussed in relation to NAGPRA, which had passed only 6 years earlier. NAGPRA (Native American Graves and Repatriation Act) addresses the legality of returning Indigenous remains back to Federally recognized tribes that have been wrongfully stolen throughout the centuries. The case was taken to Federal court where the remains were analyzed by two forensic anthropologists who had concluded that the remains belonged to a Caucasian male, therefore, allowing the scientists to claim the remains. However, nearly 20 years later, in June 2015, recent DNA technology had allowed for scientists at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark to determine that the Kennewick Man is, in fact, related to modern Native Americans, including the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation from the region in which his bones were found. In 2016, the Senate had passed that the remains be returned to the Indigenous tribe to which they belonged on the bases of NAGPRA. In 2017, the remains were buried how they were meant to be based on the tribes’ customs.
The case of the Kennewick man was definitely not the first case of false racial identification and will most likely not be the last. However, with advancing technology and an increase in progressive scientific views, false racial identification will hopefully come to an end. However, that also requires the diversification of forensic anthropologists. Today, most forensic anthropologists are straight white men, however, there does seem to be a recent increase in women and LQBTQ+ individuals due to the show “Bones”. Though there are some diversifications taking place, there is still a major lack of racial minorities within the field of forensic anthropology. Associate Professor of Anthropology Elizabeth DiGangi remains the only board-certified person who has identified as Black in the history of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, which was established in 1977.