Kennewick Man and Asatru
by Susan Granquist
In October of 1996, members of the Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA) filed a complaint against
the Army Corps of Engineers seeking an injunction to prevent the Corps from turning the
ancient skeleton referred to in the media as the Kennewick Man over to the Umatilla Tribes
under the Native Graves Protection and Repatriation Act based on religious principles of
Asatru, an ancient pre-Christian, ethnic religion. However there are a number of things
that need to be known in order to for the public and court to fairly evaluate the claim
that might not be apparent to those unfamiliar with this faith.
The complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon,
CV No. CV-96-1516 JE by the Asatru Folk Assembly, Stephen A. McNallen, and William Fox
versus the United States of America, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Ernest J. Harrell,
Donald R. Curtis, and Lee Turner, Judicial Review of Agency Action (Administrative
Procedure Act), 5 USC & 706; violation of 42 USC & 1981 and 42 USC & 1983;
Deprivation of Constitutional Rights; violation of Native American Graves Protection Act;
Request for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief and for Attorney Fees.
Section 2. "This action relates to the human skeletal remains discovered in July 1996
in eastern Washington commonly known as the 'Richland Man' and sometimes as the 'Kennewick
Man' and which are the subject of a notice of intent to repatriate issued by the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers."
Section 5. "The plaintiffs are members of the Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA), an organization
that represents Asatru, one of the major indigenous, pre-Christian, European religions.
Asatru, while a term coined by the Europeans in the Viking Era, was a spiritual path
practiced by the European peoples for thousands of years prior to the Viking Era."
The term, Asatru, was not coined in the Viking Era, as stated by the plaintiffs, Stephen
A. McNallen, Bill Fox and the AFA. It was coined in the mid-1800s by Danish scholars who
were studying the Icelandic Eddas to refer to the belief in the Aesir, the gods of the
Norse/Germanic peoples. Prior to the introduction of Christianity the spiritual beliefs
were simply referred to as "vor sidh" or our way, "vor tru" our faith. Contrary to popular
perceptions, Christianity and those who were not Christian co-existed for many years and
Asatru has continued as a recognized spiritual tradition and faith in Iceland and Europe
even though it has only begun to be recognized legally again in many of those countries in
recent years. Iceland was among the first to do so under the name of Asatru.
"The Asatru Folk Assembly is a legally recognized church revering the sky and earth deities
of ancient Europe. Stephen A. McNallen, the recognized leader of the church, was fundamental
in reviving this ancient ancestral spiritual path twenty-five years ago. Since then, he has
devoted his life to reconstructing the tribal customs and spiritual practices of
pre-Christian Europe."
Asatru is specific to the gods and goddesses referred collectively as the Aesir in the
Icelandic Eddas, as well as in Norse and Germanic myth and folklore. There are many sky
and earth deities of old and ancient Europe, such as the Celtic and Baltic gods and
goddesses that are not worshipped by Asatruar. It is thought that both shared a common
ancestry along with other mythology of the Indo-European groups.
"Today, the religion of Asatru has thousands of members, both in Europe and the United
States. The AFA represents many of these members. The AFA publishes a quarterly journal
and other informative, thought-provoking materials."
The Asatru Folk Assembly is a church, but they do not represent a mandate of any Asatruar
in any legal sense outside those who are actually members of the Asatru Folk Assembly.
As the suit states, Asatru was one of the major indigenous, pre-Christian Northern European
religions, it is specifically because Asatru is an indigenous religion that the reasoning
behind the suit is particularly hard to understand. Regardless of its historical
antecedents which have been lost in the mists of time, it is specifically Northern European
and not universal in scope although there are Asatruar in many parts of the world. Belief
in the Norse/Germanic gods and goddesses is not enough to be considered Asatru. As an
ethnic religion the historical and cultural conventions are also very important as an
on-going spiritual tradition that has survived in the folk ways, the literature and even
the languages of the people descended from those who considered the Aesir to be ancestral
gods and literal kin as many royal genealogies of Northern Europe show.
Asatru is not like the Catholic Church, or even Christianity with an authority structure
or hierarchy. It is a folk religion, with credibility for those in leadership positions
being gained by demonstrated ability, knowledge and respect, in much the same way that in
other ethnic religions or groups tribal elders are recognized. Asatru as the indigenous
religion of Iceland was recognized legally in Iceland in 1973 alongside Lutheranism and
the Asatruafelagidh as the official religious body in Iceland. Other Asatru organizations
have been going through the process of recognition in Europe, based on historical
practices and long-held spiritual traditions, a significantly different process from
America where there is no state church, and there is not the need to demonstrate the
historicity of the religion to gain the recognition of a religion or church organization.
Mr. McNallen has founded several groups based on a belief on Northern European spiritual
practices, the Asatru Folk Assembly is the latest, founded within the last three years.
The Asatru Folk Assembly is a successor organization to the old Asatru Free Assembly
(1977-1987), which in turn was preceded by the Viking Brotherhood (1971-1977).
"'Richland Man' is the common term used to describe the human skeletal remains
discovered in or about July 1996, near or in the bed of the Columbia River near Richland,
Washington. Richland Man has been the subject of radiocarbon dating and is believed to
be over 9,000 years old."
"Around eleven thousand years ago, adventurous human beings began trekking across the
Bering land bridge into what is now Alaska, on their way southward in a migration that
would eventually populate all of America. The common assumption is that all of these
peoples were the Asian ancestors of today's Native Americans."
"There is now a sizable body of evidence indicating that this may not be true. A number
of very old skeletons desplay [sic] strong Caucasian traits, to the point that
anthropologists are now talking in terms of not only "proto-Indians" but also of
"proto-Americans" and even "Proto-Caucasians" who had a role in the populating of
America. It is now thought possible that European-type groups could, in fact, have also
made that long walk across what is now the Bering Strait."
Ironically, the evidence suggested by the Kennewick Man, brings the Beringia theory
itself into question according to some experts. The information provided by the
anthropologists who have had a chance to study the Kennewick Man have agreed that the
skeleton is caucasoid.
Despite explanations from scientists and anthropologists, Mr. McNallen continues to hold
to his view that the skeleton is possibly related to Northern Europeans despite the fact
that there is no correlation between modern Caucasians and caucasoids, despite the
postulation of a "Proto-Caucasian." The former is a non-scientific term taken from
sociology to describe the physical characteristics of people of European appearance,
roughly corresponding to the actual anthropological group referred to as europoids. The
latter is an anthropological term which connotes the paleo-Indian morphological types
that do not conform to the norm, but resemble certain Asian and Middle Eastern
morphological types, referred to in sociological terms as mongoloids. There is no
evidence to suggest that these groups (europoids and caucasoids) share any common
ancestry before 40 thousand years ago. At which point they (and several other groups)
would share the common ancestors, provided the Regional Sapiens hypothesis is not correct.
If it is, and the Out of Africa model is wrong then a common ancestor would not exist
until between 125 tya and 500 tya.
There is another case filed by some of the world's leading scientists which addresses
the actual scientific, cultural and legal issues. The Native American Grave Protection
and Repatriation Act was intended to protect Native American spiritual rights. Scientists
are now complaining about a form of Native American fundamentalism, that like Christian
fundamentalism, presents a form of Creationalism that runs counter to scientific inquiry
and study and that the NAGPRA is being applied too broadly and without an avenue of
review in cases where there is no clear ancestral or cultural identity. There have been
other skeletons found in the United States that are older and whose descendants can not
be determined with any certainty and the NAGPRA and other laws give the Native Americans
who are associated with the land the skeletons are found on the right of determination,
whether they are known to have arrived in the area at a much later date or not.
Despite claims of supporting scientific study, and in the face of scientific fact that
contradicts the belief that the Kennewick Man is "Proto-Caucasian," the AFA case presents
its own version of fundamentalism. Supporters point to examples of white settlers or
traders who have been found and because of the law were buried by Native American tribes
who claimed the bodies under the law as a reason for challenging the Umatilla Tribe's
claim. Certainly there are concerns there to be addressed, but the AFA suit does not
address the issues of Northern European people of a much later time period and whose
spiritual beliefs would be more likely that of Christianity.
Section 9, page 6. "The Umatilla tribes claim that scientific examination of the bones
is sacrilege, and have used their traditional religion as a reason for denying access
to them. But the Umatilla tribes are not the only people who practice an indigenous
religion. Followers of the ancient way called Asatru know that European-descended peoples,
too, once belonged to tribal nations. The blood of the Goths, the Allemani, the Cherusci,
the Lombards."
The AFA presents the fact that Northern Europeans are descended from tribal people, the
Goths, Allemani, Cherusci, Lombards and other groups mentioned in Tacitus's Germania,
failing to recognize the fact that those tribal nations developed into regional and national
identities, losing the tribal identity along the way. A tribal background is not the same as
being a tribe, as the Umatilla Tribes and other Native American. This is not a matter of
faith, but of fact.
Section 9, page 7. "While plaintiffs are not opposed to scientific research if done in a
considerate and reverent way, they further feel that the ethnic and religious "next of kin"
should have ultimate control over the bodies of the dead. And that is the key to this whole
problem -- there is very convincing evidence that Richland Man is a kinsman to plaintiffs
rather than kinsman to the Umatilla tribes, and that the Umatilla tribes therefore have no
moral, religious, or legal right to his remains."
"Plaintiffs want these bones to be studied, with the goal of identifying him ethnically. If
Richland Man proves to be paleo-Indian, plaintiffs will relinquish all claims to the remains.
If Richland Man proves to be Caucasoid, plaintiffs believe he should be returned to his
people for study and for eventual reinterment in accordance with native European belief. If
Richland Man seems to be both, plaintiffs wish to share responsibility for their common
ancestor with the Umatilla tribes."
Richland Man has been identified as being caucasoid, and paleo-Indian by scientists and
anthropologists. The plaintiffs have expressed their belief that the skeleton should be
returned to his people for eventual reinterment. They have expressed a desire to share
responsibility, however continue with the mistaken impression that a skeleton classified as
caucasoid is related to europoids and therefore a common ancestor. As stated the key issue
is relatedness, and the AFA presents scientific study as a way of determining that
relatedness and ethnicity. According to their suit they are prepared to relinquish their
claims if scientific evidence provides proof that they are not related. Yet despite
presentation of scientific fact the AFA refuses to relinquish the claim on the grounds of
religious belief. Asked to explain how the suit related to Asatru, as an ethnic and
indigenous religion by other Asatruar Mr. McNallen responded in the news group
alt.religion.asatru with, "For me, the Kennewick Man is another twig on that branch which
can ultimately be traced back to Ask and Embla, given hue and life by Odin/Lodur/Hoenir
[sic]. When he was, the Gods were - and they were HIS Gods. This is more important than
whether or not he would recognize the futhark or speak a Germanic language."
The reasoning sounds familiar and can be related to a growing fundamentalist movement in
America where one group's religious beliefs are pitted against others and against science.
Mr. McNallen may believe that Odin, Lodur, and Hoenir, were the creators of mankind, and
that whether or not the Kennewick Man would have spoken the languages of the ethnic groups
who were known to worship the Aesir, in Northern Europe thousands of years later and a
half a world away, dismissing as important what the person's beliefs might have been since
it is his view that the Odin and his brothers created the earth and mankind. Whether it is
the Christian religion whose followers believe that God created the world and man which
justifies the imposition on those beliefs on others, or which deny the importance of
science Content with their mythological view, or Mr. McNallen who combines his
Creationalism with science but still seeks to deny Native Americans their moral, religious
or legal rights which have been granted under the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act, because he claims Asatru is also an indigenous religion, yet illogically
denies the very things that make Asatru one of Northern Europe's indigenous religions,
that the land, the people and their beliefs were what defined the religion, the rites and
rituals. Many other indigenous religions speak of coming from other places, of migrations
and long journeys, but the mythology, the cosmology and rituals reflect both the people
and the land that they are identified with. The Germanic and Norse peoples mythology
reflects their heroic era just as others from Native American to Oceania do, but Asatru
is specific to Northern Europe, regardless of a personal belief and right to hold that,
it seems irrational to claim a right to tribal and indigenous consideration be coupled
with an explanation of creationalism that encompasses more than that tribal and
indigenous people's views.
Our official position, and that of the Irminsul Ęttir, was posted to
alt.religion.asatru on April 7, 1997, in an ongoing debate concerning the
AFA's suit. It's been asked on what basis we have put forward our view as being authoritive
in the matter. That and other questions have been addressed at length in
alt.religion.asatru which is the forum that Mr. McNallen indicated that he was willing
to address the issues. The Dejanews files will
have the body of postings on file. However, it should be noted that Mr. Bill Fox, who
filed the suit as a resident of Oregon, sent me a copy of the suit after contacting me
as an Asatru Gydhia and asking about my availability to do a public blot in Portland,
Oregon as I have done in the past and mentioning the suit in the conversation. He
specifically requested my opinions and reactions in that role.
"While plaintiffs are not opposed to scientific research if done in a considerate and
reverent way, they further feel that the ethnic and religious "next of kin" should have
ultimate control over the bodies of the dead. And that is the key to this whole problem
-- there is very convincing evidence that Richland Man is a kinsman to plaintiffs rather
than kinsman to the Umatilla tribes, and that the Umatilla tribes therefore have no moral,
religious, or legal right to his remains."
"Plaintiffs want these bones to be studied, with the goal of identifying him ethnically.
If Richland Man proves to be paleo-Indian, plaintiffs will relinquish all claims to the
remains. If Richland Man proves to be Caucasoid, plaintiffs believe he should be returned
to his people for study and for eventual reinterment in accordance with native European
belief. If Richland Man seems to be both, plaintiffs wish to share responsibility for
their common ancestor with the Umatilla tribes."
Section 9, page 7, Complaint CV'96-1516 JE, filed in the United States District Court
for the District of Oregon.
The scientific study so far has already proven that he is both Caucasoid and Paleo-Indian
according to citations posted by the AFA and others. The AFA has the right to let experts
decide. The experts have presented the conclusion that there is no scientific basis for
kinship. It is not a matter of faith, it is a matter of biology and science as the AFA
has made clear.
We personally believe, as Asatruar, that in accordance with the native European belief
expressed in the Saemunder Edda, that the body should be buried where it fell. Being
returned to his people and reinterment in that land represents a shared responsibility
with the Umatilla Tribes many of whom have shared common ancestry with Northern Europeans
as well as the Umatilla Tribes. It is our belief that we hold common cause with the Native
American peoples as people who likewise look to ancestral traditions, spiritual views and
religious practices, and depend on law to protect our respective religious and spiritual
rights.
There was a recent mailing by an Asatru organization that pointed out, "Most of us don't
like government intervention, as a matter of principle. Just as we resent being shoved
around by an omnipotent Middle Eastern deity, so we resist the dictates of the bureaucrats
who sit on the Potomac, and in our respective state capitols. On the other hand, we also
feel a deep concern for the natural world -- for everything that goes to make up the
Earth." That organization was the Asatru Folk Assembly, in its explanation of Earth Work '97.
Do we not share responsibility to protect the rights of other ethnic groups against
unreasonable government intervention or application of laws that would deny those who
follow ancestral ways? Do we not share their concern at being ignored because of a belief
that we do not share that has historically been used to ignore the "superstitions" of the
heathen people as being unevolved? Yet it is not so simple, as those who stand by us in
establishing those rights are the anthropologists and scientists that study the cultures,
traditions and folkways as more than superstition. It is our personal view that if claims
must be settled and compromises worked out in the courts of law that it should be between
the scientists and the ethnic groups whose interests are most involved.
In kinship,
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Susan Granquist
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Daniel J. O'Halloran
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Irminsul Ęttir
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April 7, 1997
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