James Chatters

Last updated

James C. Chatters (born March 20, 1949) is an American archaeologist and paleontologist. As of 2012, 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. [2]

Contents

Educational background

James Chatters attended Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, graduating in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in anthropology. He then enrolled in the University of Washington in Seattle, where he continued his study of anthropology, earning his master's degree and Ph.D in 1975 and 1982, respectively. [1]

Professional background

Since 1964, Chatters has participated in archeological studies and excavations, and provided osteological analyses throughout the western US and the Pacific Northwest, as well as Hawaii, Alaska, Minnesota, Texas, the province of Saskatchewan in Canada, and the country of Brazil. After earning his Master's degree in 1975, he began participating in paleoecological projects in the western US, along with Kentucky and Maryland. [1]

In the fall of 1977, he served as an archeologist in the Custer National Forest in Watford City, North Dakota. The following year, he returned to the University of Washington, to pursue his Ph.D in anthropology, while simultaneously serving as the acting director of the Office of Public Archeology for the school. [1] From 1980–81, he served as an assistant professor with the department of anthropology at Central Washington University, and in 1982, he began serving as the associate director of the Central Washington Archaeological Survey. [1]

In 1987, Chatters relocated to the Tri-Cities, where he joined the staff of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, also known as Battelle-Northwest, serving as senior research scientist in the environmental sciences department. He held this role until 1993, when he chose to establish the forensics consulting firm if Applied Paleoscience. [1] It is in this role that he has provided forensic analysis and scientific research for government agencies, law enforcement officials, and tribal nations throughout the Northwest.

Ancient One discovery

On July 28, 1996, two local students, Will Thomas and Dave Deacy, discovered a skull embedded in the mud and underbrush of the south bank of the Columbia River, while they were wandering alongside the river during the Tri-City Water Follies hydroplane boat races. [3] After they alerted a local police officer, a local dive team went out to the area, gathered more bone fragments along with the skull, then taped off the shore for protection, as a possible crime scene. [4]

At the time of the discovery, Chatters owned a forensics consulting business called Applied Paleoscience, [3] in which he often worked with local government officials and law enforcement to assist with criminal investigations. [5] He also consulted with Northwest tribes to assist with protection and repatriation of Native American remains discovered throughout the Columbia Basin.

On the early evening of the discovery, the Benton County Coroner, Floyd Johnson, called Chatters to ask him to take a look at the skull to determine if it belonged to a current or recent crime victim. Chatters, eager to help, invited Johnson to bring the skull over to his home, after which they quickly returned to the discovery site to gather more skeletal remains, before the sun would set that evening. [3] [5] His initial assessment determined that the skull displayed characteristics consistent with ancient Paleo-Indian remains. Subsequent tests determined that the remains dated back to a calibrated age of 9,800 years. [5] [6]

Chatters' scientific findings brought controversy to the discovery and triggered a nine-year legal battle between scientists, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and Native American tribes, who attempted to claim the remains as one of their ancestors, in accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). [2] Various Northwest tribes, including the Umatilla, Yakama, Colville, Nez Perce, and Wanapum nations all asserted rights to claim the remains for immediate reburial, without further scientific study or examination. [7] The US Army Corps of Engineers, who oversaw the land where the remains were found, agreed to comply with the requests of the tribes. [2] Before the transfer could be made, eight scientists filed a lawsuit asserting their legal right to study the remains. They believed that the bones were a rare national treasure, that held the potential to reveal vital information about the peopling of the North American continent. [8]

In 2002, a federal court in the state of Oregon ruled that the tribes failed to establish viable and definitive cultural links between themselves and Ancient One, formerly known as, Kennewick Man. This ruling opened up the way for Chatters and the team of eight scientists to study the remains. Following an appeal in February 2004, a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the decision. The ruling additionally set a precedent, ensuring that any future discovery of ancient remains would also be made available for scientific studies. [8]

However, in 2015, Ancient One, formerly known as, Kennewick Man was shown to be more closely related to local indigenous populations than to any other group, worldwide, thanks to DNA analysis. [9] Using craniometry, a team had concluded that Ancient One, formerly known as Kennewick Man, was related to Western- or South-Pacific populations such as the Ainu or the Polynesians. [9]

Published works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennewick Man</span> Ancient skeleton of Indigenous American man

Kennewick Man or Ancient One was a Native American man who lived during the early Holocene, whose skeletal remains were found washed out on a bank of the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington, on July 28, 1996. Radiocarbon tests show the man lived about 8,400 to 8,690 years Before Present, making his skeleton one of the most complete ever found this old in the Americas, and thus of high scientific interest for understanding the peopling of the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act</span> 1990 US law protecting Native American remains and artifacts

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Pub. L. 101-601, 25 U.S.C. 3001 et seq., 104 Stat. 3048, is a United States federal law enacted on November 16, 1990.

Osteology is the scientific study of bones, practised by osteologists. A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, and paleontology, osteology is the detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, microbone morphology, function, disease, pathology, the process of ossification from cartilaginous molds, and the resistance and hardness of bones (biophysics).

Arlington Springs Man was an ancient Paleoindian, most likely a man, whose remains were found in 1959 on Santa Rosa Island, one of the Channel Islands located off the coast of Southern California. He lived about 13,000 years Before Present, making him the earliest dated adult in North America. It was an important scientific discovery because his presence on the island at this early date supports the coastal migration theory for the peopling of the Americas. In 2022, after a NAGPRA request, Arlington Springs Man was repatriated to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians for reburial according to their native customs at an undisclosed location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craniometry</span> Measurement of the human cranium

Craniometry is measurement of the cranium, usually the human cranium. It is a subset of cephalometry, measurement of the head, which in humans is a subset of anthropometry, measurement of the human body. It is distinct from phrenology, the pseudoscience that tried to link personality and character to head shape, and physiognomy, which tried the same for facial features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forensic facial reconstruction</span> Recreating faces from skeletal remains

Forensic facial reconstruction is the process of recreating the face of an individual from their skeletal remains through an amalgamation of artistry, anthropology, osteology, and anatomy. It is easily the most subjective—as well as one of the most controversial—techniques in the field of forensic anthropology. Despite this controversy, facial reconstruction has proved successful frequently enough that research and methodological developments continue to be advanced.

The Buhl Woman was an Paleoindian Indigenous American woman whose remains were found in a quarry near Buhl, Idaho, United States, in January 1989. The remains are thought to have been deliberately buried. Radiocarbon dating has placed the age of the skeleton at 12,740–12,420 calibrated years before present, making her remains some of the oldest in the Americas, though the quality of the dating has been questioned.

The Jesup North Pacific Expedition (1897–1902) was a major anthropological expedition to Siberia, Alaska, and the northwest coast of Canada. The purpose of the expedition was to investigate the relationships among the peoples at each side of the Bering Strait.

The East Wenatchee Clovis Site is a deposit of prehistoric Clovis points and other implements, dating to roughly 11,000 radiocarbon years before present or about 13,000 calendar years before present, found near the city of East Wenatchee, Washington in 1987. Accidentally discovered in an apple orchard by Mark Mickels, it yielded some of the largest stone Clovis points known to science. After controversy over its excavation, the site was sealed off from further digging from 1992 until 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luzia Woman</span> Upper Paleolithic period skeleton of a Paleo-Indian woman

Luzia Woman is the name for an Upper Paleolithic period skeleton of a Paleo-Indian woman who was found in a cave in Brazil. The 11,500-year-old skeleton was found in a cave in the Lapa Vermelha archeological site in Pedro Leopoldo, in the Greater Belo Horizonte region of Brazil, in 1974 by archaeologist Annette Laming-Emperaire.

Barton Gulch is an archaeological site in southwest Montana that has provided very important information concerning some of the earliest residents of the Paleo-Indian period in the northwest United States.

George W. Gill is an American anthropologist, and a Professor Emeritus at the University of Wyoming who specializes in skeletal biology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Repatriation and reburial of human remains</span> Ethical considerations in museum management regarding repatriation of human remains

The repatriation and reburial of human remains is a current issue in archaeology and museum management on the holding of human remains. Between the descendant-source community and anthropologists, there are a variety of opinions on whether or not the remains should be repatriated. There are numerous case studies across the globe of human remains that have been or still need to be repatriated.

Caleb Vance Haynes Jr., known as Vance Haynes or C. Vance Haynes Jr., is an archaeologist, geologist and author who specializes in the archaeology of the American Southwest. Haynes "revolutionized the fields of geoarchaeology and archaeological geology." He is known for unearthing and studying artifacts of Paleo-Indians including ones from Sandia Cave in the 1960s, work which helped to establish the timeline of human migration through North America. Haynes coined the term "black mat" for a layer of 10,000-year-old swamp soil seen in many North American archaeological studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">On Your Knees Cave</span> Cave in Alaska, United States

On Your Knees Cave (49-PET-408) is an archaeological site located in southeastern Alaska. Human remains were found at the site in 1996 that dated between 9,730 ±60 and 9,880±50 radiocarbon YBP or a calendrical date of 10,300 YBP. In addition to human skeletal remains, stone tools and animal bones were discovered. DNA analyses performed on the human skeletal remains document the presence of mitochondrial haplogroup D which occurs widely in the Americas. Isotopic analysis indicated that the individual had a primarily marine based diet.

Richard L. Jantz is an American anthropologist. He served as the director of the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility from 1998–2011 and he is the current Professor Emeritus of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His research focuses primarily on forensic anthropology, skeletal biology, dermatoglyphics, anthropometry, anthropological genetics, and human variation, as well as developing computerized databases in these areas which aid in anthropological research. The author of over a hundred journal articles and other publications, his research has helped lead and shape the field of physical and forensic anthropology for many years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Berryman</span> American forensic anthropologist

Hugh Berryman is a U.S. forensic anthropologist with areas of expertise in blunt force trauma, skeletal remains, and osteology. He is one of only three forensic anthropologists in the state of Tennessee and seventy-four in the nation certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. Additionally, he has received two awards offered by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS): the Ellis R. Kerley Award in 2008 and the T. Dale Stewart lifetime achievement award in 2012. Due to his areas of expertise and qualifications, his assistance has been sought by local, state, and federal authorities as well as private interests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas W. Owsley</span> American anthropologist (born 1951)

Douglas W. Owsley is an American anthropologist who is head of Physical Anthropology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). He is regarded as one of the most prominent and influential archaeologists and forensic anthropologists in the world in some popular media. In September 2001, he provided scientific analysis at the military mortuary located at Dover Air Force Base, following the 9/11 attack in Washington, D.C. The following year, the US Department of Defense honored him with the Commander's Award for Civilian Service for helping in the identification of 60 federal and civilian victims who died when American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon.

Peñon woman or Peñon Woman III is the name for the human remains, specifically a skull, of a Paleo-Indian woman found by an ancient lake bed in Pueblo Peñón de los Baños in Mexico City in 1959.

Adeline Mary Sam Fredin (1934–2018) was an American archaeologist, tribal member, Director and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. She is best known as one of the first 12 accredited Tribal Heritage Preservation Officers in the United States and for her contributed efforts to the repatriation of Kennewick Man and furthering tribal engagement as an Indian Country leader in Cultural Resource Management. Fredin was a self-taught pioneer in the protection of Native American heritage and rights to the preservation of prehistoric artifacts and human remains. The Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation describes Fredin's contributions to the field of archaeology as formative to the relationship between anthropology and tribal histories. Fredin was rumored a force to be reckoned with who maintained relationships with the Secretary of Interior, the White House and the Pentagon, perceived as an attorney of sorts when it came to Indian law.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Chatters resume independent". Host.securelook.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
  2. 1 2 3 Doughton, Sandi. "Local News | Kennewick Man will let his bones do the talking | Seattle Times Newspaper". Seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
  3. 1 2 3 Hunt, Morton M. The New Know-Nothings: The Political Foes of the Scientific Study of Human Nature , Transaction Publishers, page 320, 1999. ISBN   978-0765804976
  4. ↑ Stang, John (2005-06-20). "Skull found on shore of Columbia". Tri-City Herald. Archived from the original on 2007-04-25. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
  5. 1 2 3 Meltzer, David J. First Peoples in a New World: Colonizing Ice Age America , University of California Press, page 177, 2009. ISBN   978-0520250529
  6. ↑ "A chronicle of the battle over ancient Kennewick Man's bones - Chicago Tribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. 2003-05-04. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
  7. ↑ "Kennewick Man". Mnh.si.edu. 1996-07-28. Archived from the original on 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
  8. 1 2 Bonnichsen, et al. v. United States, et al., Archived 2012-03-14 at the Wayback Machine no. 02-35994 (9th Cir. Feb. 4, 2004)
  9. 1 2 "Rasmussen et al. 2015. Nature 523: 455-458"
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.