The Ancient One
In 1996, a 9,000-year-old skeleton, known as “Kennewick Man” or “The Ancient One,” was found on the banks of the Columbia River in Washington state. These were some of the earliest human remains ever discovered in the Americas.
Tribal groups claimed the Ancient One as their ancestor, based on oral tradition, which said that their people were part of the land since the beginning of time. But others disputed their claim.
Twenty years of scientific investigations, including DNA testing, proved the tribal groups right. In 2017, the Ancient One was returned to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation for reburial.