Very Old Bones Returned to Tribes
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AP Photo/U.S. Forest Service
This photo shows the ancient human remains that were found in a cave in Alaska in 1996.
The quarter in the center shows the size of the bones.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Achieve3000, December 5, 2007). Eleven years ago, ancient human
remains were found inside an Alaskan cave during a U.S. Forest
Service archaeological survey. Now, the U.S. government is ready to
hand over the remains to the southeast Alaska Tlingit tribes, the
bones' rightful owners. It will be the first time the government has
returned such an ancient find to a native group.
Ribs, teeth, and other kinds of bones were among the remains. They
were found inside the On Your Knees Cave in Tongass National
Forest in 1996. The area is the homeland for the Tlingit tribes. When the remains were discovered,
the Forest Service immediately consulted with area tribes, as stated by a 1990 law. The law requires
the government to return Native American remains and cultural items to tribes.
There was never any question that the remains should go to the Tlingit tribes. However, the tribes
agreed to leave the remains in the hands of the U.S. Forest Service. Why? So that scientists could
study them. Some tribal members initially balked at the study. They wanted to bury the bones
immediately. In the end, though, these people agreed to the study. Why? They determined that the
remains had been scattered in the cave. They had not been taken from a burial site, as some people
had feared.
The tribes said that they would allow scientists to study the remains of their ancestors, according to
Rosita Worl. She is a member of the Tlingit tribe. In this way, the tribes could support knowledge and
learning.
The bones were subjected to lengthy study that included DNA testing. Scientists found that the bones
were indeed ancient. In addition, they found that the remains belonged to a native man in his early
20s. The man lived mostly on seafood.
The find also included some stone tools made of obsidian, or volcanic glass. The presence of these
tools surprised scientists. Why? Obsidian is not naturally found in the area. It suggests that early
Tlingit people used boats to get around the coastal area. This idea supports stories among the Tlingit
tribes about coastal migrations.
"We're very, very excited and very proud of our people," said Worl.
Sherry Hutt is a program manager for the National Park Service. For Hutt, what stands out about the
Tlingit case is the level of cooperation involved.
"The Forest Service went through the process carefully. . . . It consulted with the locals and came to a
decision based on [a study] of the facts," Hutt said. "The process of consultation [improves] the body
of knowledge. This is a good example of it."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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Dig Deeper
You read about ancient bones belonging to the Tlingit people. The Tlingit people are Native
Americans who began living in southeastern Alaska long before Europeans got there. This area is
along the Pacific Ocean and is covered in forests. It's temperate—not very cold—and gets plenty of
rain. For this reason, there are many plants and animals there.
Traditionally, the Tlingit people were hunter-gatherers. They hunted and fished for their food. They
built large wooden houses. Each house was home to more than one family. Some families were seen
as more important because they were wealthy or their ancestors had done important things. The heads
of the most important families became leaders in the community. Tlingit people gained their wealth
by trading fish oil, shells, and baskets. They traded with other tribes, and later, with Europeans.
The T-lingit people had ceremonies. One type was called a "potlatch," and its purpose was often to
remember the dead. The people sang, danced, and ate feasts. They asked the dead to help them
continue to find food and heal the sick. An important part of the potlatch was for the host family to
give away goods to others.
Today, many Tlingit people still live in villages. They try to keep living the way their ancestors did.
Others live a more modern life.
Dictionary
archaeological (adjective) having to do with the study of objects from past human life and ancient history
balk (verb) to hesitate or be unwilling to do something
burial site (noun) a place where the dead are laid to rest
host (adjective) having to do with a person or place that is having visitors
process (noun) changes or acts that take place one after another
require (verb) to demand
traditionally (adverb) in a way having to do with what has been done for a long time
Very Old Bones Returned to Tribes
Activity
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1.
Based on the article, which best replaces the question mark above?
Some tools made of obsidian were found in a cave in Alaska.
Rosita Worl is a member of the Tlingit tribe in Alaska.
Sherry Hutt is a program manager for the National Park Service in Alaska.
The U.S. government is returning some ancient bones to the Tlingit tribes in Alaska.
2. Some tools made of obsidian were found in the On Your Knees Cave. The article says that because of
this, __________.
The early Tlingit people were able to build strong canoes using the obsidian tools.
Scientists believe that the early Tlingit people used to travel by horseback in Alaska.
Scientists believe that the early Tlingit people used boats to get around coastal Alaska.
The early Tlingit people were able to trade the obsidian tools with other tribes.
3. Let's say you were writing a summary of the article. Which of these would be most important to put
in the summary?
The U.S. government is ready to return an ancient find to the Tlingit tribes.
The ancient Tlingit man died in his early 20s and lived mostly on seafood.
The bones were subjected to lengthy study that included DNA testing.
When the remains were discovered, the Forest Service immediately consulted with area tribes
4. The article says:
There was never any question that the remains should go to the Tlingit tribes. However, the
tribes agreed to leave the remains in the hands of the U.S. Forest Service. Why? So that scientists
could study them. Some tribal members initially balked at the study. They wanted to bury the bones
immediately. In the end, though, these people agreed to the study. Why? They determined that the
remains had been scattered in the cave. They had not been taken from a burial site, as some
people had feared.
Which would be the closest synonym for the word determined?
A synonym is a word that has the same meaning. Sick and ill are synonyms.
Explored
Decided
Compared
Arranged
5. Which event had not yet taken place when this article was written?
Some Tlingit tribe members were not sure if the scientists should study the bones.
The government found ancient human remains in a cave in Alaska.
The Tlingit tribes allowed scientists to study the remains of the ancient Tlingit man.
The government returned the ancient human remains to the Tlingit tribes.
6. Which of these is an opinion?
The Forest Service should have been more careful while studying the remains.
Ribs, teeth, and other kinds of bones were among the remains.
Scientists found that the bones were indeed ancient.
Also found in the cave were some stone tools made of obsidian, or volcanic glass.
7. In the article, Sherry Hutt says:
"The process of consultation [improves] the body of knowledge."
Which means almost the same as process?
Failure
Action
Border
Increase
8. The article talks about all of the following except __________.
The ancient Tlingit tribes lived in Canada before migrating to Alaska.
The obsidian tools supported stories about the coastal migrations of Tlingit tribes.
The Tlingit tribes agreed to leave the remains in the hands of the U.S. Forest Service.
The human remains were scattered around in the cave.