Though described here as "video cassette tapes," these are not the more common VHS tapes. With that in mind, please be aware that MASC does not currently have the capability to play any of these formats; researchers wishing to view them should contact MASC in advance so arrangements for the relevant equipment can be made. Due to our inability to play all tapes, some of the tapes may be redundant, but during processing we chose to risk redundancy rather than risk discarding something unique.
Kennewick Man is the name given to skeletal remains of a prehistoric man found in Kennewick, Washington in 1996. A long legal battle soon ensued over the remains, which are estimated to be between the ages of 5,650 and 9,510 years old. The controversy of who the remains belong to was the main issue of the legal battle. In 2004, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an injunction to return the remains to Northwest Tribes and determined that the remains did not fall under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). As of 2012 the remains reside in the Burke Museum in Seattle, Washington where they are being held in safe keeping while ongoing scientific tests are conducted.
Washington State College first developed its own television programming in 1950-1952, and began its own television channel in 1962, originally as KWSC-TV, and then later as KWSU-TV. These are managed through the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.
The collection contains eighteen video cassette tapes, most of which were apparently used for a KWSU production of a program titled “Kennewick Man on Trial." This program was primarily filmed during an October 22-23, 1999 lecture series given at Seattle's Burke Museum during the legal battles, and aired in March, 2000. Also included in the collections are tapes recorded in Richland, Washington, apparently from the same program. Also in this collection are papers relating to the production of “Kennewick Man on Trial” and to the legal battle over the remains.
Though described here as "video cassette tapes," these are not the more common VHS tapes. With that in mind, please be aware that MASC does not currently have the capability to play any of these formats; researchers wishing to view them should contact MASC in advance so arrangements for the relevant equipment can be made. Due to our inability to play all tapes, some of the tapes may be redundant, but during processing we chose to risk redundancy rather than risk discarding something unique.
The papers in this collection are arranged into two small series: Kennewick Man and the legal cases, and the production of “Kennewick Man on Trial”. Both series are arranged alphabetically. The video cassette tapes are arranged by date; an original numbering was incorporated so as to maintain the original order (e.g. the tapes from 10/22/1999, numbered one to five, and now numbered 7.1. to 7.5).
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright applies.
[Item Description] "Kennewick Man on Trial" Recordings and Records, 1996-2004 (Archives 324)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
These materials were acquired by the Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC) from Bob Curry of Washington State University Radio/TV on October 1, 2004, and retained as accession UA2004-17.
This collection was processed in August 2012 by Katrina Burch following organizational work done by Susan Vetter.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.