ABSTRACT
Conflicts over control of the Kennewick human remains are very revealing about the role archaeological knowledge and expertise plays in state-mediated attempts to regulate or “govern” certain social problems. One way of looking at the Kennewick conflict is to understand it in terms of the legitimacy—and therefore the power and authority—given to certain forms of knowledge. The ability to control the meaning and value of human remains, as well as “possess” the actual remains, is a significant statement of power. Archaeologists should note that this works two ways—not only for Indigenous communities, but also for the archaeological community (see Byrne 2004; Lahn 1996; Smith 2004a).
