Memorandum: Determination that the Kennewick Skeltal Remains are "Native American" for the Purposes of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)

This is a copy of the official Department of the Interior memorandum describing the determination that the Kennewick human skeletal remains should be considered "Native American" for the purposes of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The rationale for this determination, described in the memorandum relied upon the results of radiocarbon dating which established that the remains were clearly pre-Columbian, about 8,000 years old. Additional evidence from the February 1999 examination of the remains, including the physical information from the skeletal materials themselves, sediment analysis from the discover site and on the bones, and geomorphic assessment of the discover site supported this determination. Attachments to the memo include descriptions of the bone samples subjected to the radiocarbon tests and the test results.