It's the question everyone's been wanting to know. Were the Indians really the first people in North America?, who gets the bones?, and what happens to Kennewick man? July 28, 1996 two men discovered a human skull in the Columbia River at Kennewick Washington. James chatters revealed that the bones were nearly 9,500 years old. So who was Kennewick Man, and where did he come from? Chatters set out to find out, but his work on the Kennewick man came to a halt when five Native American tribes claimed that Kennewick man was their ancestor. The law claimed that Native American tribes can claime any skeleton that was over 9,000 years old. After the federal government agreed with their claime Kennewick man was put into federal storage. It's what everyone wants to know. who gets the bones? The scientists want the bones to study the background of this man that is claimed to be a western European. Scientist revealed that the Kennewick mans skull was not close to a Native American. James C. Chatters is an Americanforensic anthropologist, archaeologist, and paleontologist. As of 2012[update], he is the owner of forensics consulting firm, Applied Paleoscience; and serves as a Research Associate in the Office of Graduate Studies, Research, and Continuing Education at Central Washington University; Deputy Coroner of Benton County, Washington; and a consulting scientist on staff with Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation of Bothell, Washington.[1] In 1996, Chatters was the first scientist to excavate and study the prehistoric (Paleo-Indian) skeletal remains, known as Kennewick Man, which were discovered on the banks of the Columbia River. The Kennewick Man skeleton is probably the most publicized human skeleton ever found in North America. It may also be the most expensive. Federal government spending on the skeleton and related matters totals approximately $1,100,000 and may be as much as $3,000,000 (or more). The ultimate total will increase even further, possibly by millions, as the lawsuit over the skeleton's fate continues to unfold. The magnitude of these expenditures has been fueled in part by government extravagance and waste. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent on matters that could have been obtained for free or for little cost, and thousands more have been spent on matters that serve little useful purpose. While these amounts may seem small in the context of trillion dollar budgets, they do bring to mind an observation made by one of Tony Hillerman's fictional characters:

Kennewick Man: The Three Million Dollar Skeleton

By Alan L. Schneider

The Kennewick Man skeleton is probably the most publicized human skeleton ever found in North America. It may also be the most expensive. Federal government spending on the skeleton and related matters totals approximately $1,100,000 and may be as much as $3,000,000 (or more). The ultimate total will increase even further, possibly by millions, as the lawsuit over the skeleton's fate continues to unfold.

The magnitude of these expenditures has been fueled in part by government extravagance and waste. Hundreds of thousand of dollars have been spent on matters that could have been obtained for free or for little cost, and thousands more have been spent on matters that serve little useful purpose. While these amounts may seem small in the context of trillion dollar budgets, they do bring to mind an observation made by one of Tony Hillerman's fictional characters:

"It's a political law. Like physics. When a federal agency gets into something, the number of tax-paid people at work multiplies itself by five, the number of hours taken to get it done multiples by ten, and the chances of a successful solution must be divided by three." Hillerman 2002 at page 118.

Summary of Costs

The Kennewick Man lawsuit (Bonnichsen . v. U.S., Civil No. 96-1481 JE, District of Oregon) has resulted in the release of many documents concerning federal agency activities relating to the skeleton, its discovery site and the lawsuit. Among them are documents disclosing various amounts paid by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the "Army Corps") and the Department of the Interior ("DOI") for their Kennewick Man activities. Although these documents are far from complete, they do provide some sense of the magnitude of federal expenditures for this controversial affair. The following table summarizes those expenditures for which amounts can be calculated or otherwise estimated.

So the most important thing is who do you think should get the bones and why?