Thursday, Jul. 26, 2001

Polynesian 'relative' lays claim to Kennewick Man

By Mike Lee Herald staff writer

Just when the 5-year-old Kennewick Man lawsuit seemed in danger of coming to a close, along comes Paramount Chieftain Faumuina, a k a Joseph Siofele.

Siofele, 65, who claims to be a direct descendent of the first rulers of Polynesia, added another layer of complexity to the case late last week when he filed demands in U.S. District Court that the ancient Kennewick bones be turned over to him.

While his request may well be rejected, it adds an intriguing twist to a lawsuit that has drawn international attention because of what the bones could say about the peopling of the Americas.

So far, scientific theories have focused on where Kennewick Man's ancestors originated. Siofele takes another approach, claiming Samoa was peopled by Kennewick Man's descendants.

He claims Kennewick Man as an ancestor - just like Northwest tribes - based on more than 15 years of research about the peopling of Pacific islands.

"This Kennewick Man case gives me renewed energy," said the Samoan-born Siofele, reached at his Los Angeles-area home Wednesday. "It gives me a reason to live."

In addition to Siofele and American Indians, Kennewick Man has been claimed by scientists who want to study him for clues to the ancient past and by a group that claimed he was Scandinavian.

Siofele asked the court for a hearing to "protect his kinsman from inevitable injury" at the hands of scientists and from tribal burial that would mean his "natural rights as kindred" would be "forever destroyed."

Siofele's optimism may be short-lived. Magistrate Judge John Jelderks held what likely will be the final district court hearing in the case last month, and his written ruling is expected any day. Besides, he's already rejected a comparable motion filed by the Yakama Nation.

And there's the fact that Siofele is at least four years late in filing his claim for the bones found in the Columbia River during the annual Water Follies celebration in 1996. Siofele followed the Kennewick Man case for the last few years but didn't take a personal interest until an associate who read his recent book about early Polynesia suggested the link to Kennewick Man.

From there, Siofele developed his theories that Kennewick Man's descendants continued traveling into South America, then set sail into the Pacific where they inhabited islands, including Manu'a.

If nothing else, Siofele's contention highlights some of the difficulties the court will face in determining who gets the bones and challenges facing federal agencies who find bones on their land. For instance, the government's effort to find Kennewick Man's ancestors seemed to overlook the possibility that they could live outside the Tri-Cities, said Alan Schneider, lawyer for the scientists in the case. "It really does point out that that process is flawed," he said.