Skull Found in Minnesota River Thought Related to a Missing Person But FBI Says It's a 8,000 Years Old Remains

Two kayakers in Minnesota discovered a partial skull that was about 8,000 years old, which will be handed over to Native American authorities.

They were paddling on the Minnesota river last September when they noticed a strange brown lump along the bank. They moved towards it to take a closer look, which seemed like a bone, so they were prompted to contact the Renville County Sheriff's Office.

Renville County Sheriff Scott Hable thought it might be connected to a missing person or murder case. He handed over the skull to a medical examiner. Eventually, he submitted it to the FBI, where a forensic anthropologist used carbon dating to analyze the remains. It was found out that the skull was likely of a young man that existed between 5500 and 6000 B.C

"That it was human, it was that of a young man, and, most surprisingly, that it was, they thought, about 8,000 years old. It was a complete shock to us that that bone was that old," Hubble told Minnesota Public Radio.

He added that the FBI report also indicated a "defect" was seen on the skull that suggested the cause of the death of the man.

Native Americans Criticize Hable for Publishing the Remains' Photos Online

The sheriff posted the discovery on Wednesday online, but his office was lambasted by some Native Americans, saying publishing ancestral remains images were offensive to their culture.

According to an ABC News report, Minnesota Indian Affairs Council Cultural Resources Specialist Dylan Goetsch said that the council and the state archeologist were not informed about the discovery, which is mandated by state laws concerning the preservation and return of Native American remains.

Goetsch criticized the sheriff's office for exhibiting "a complete lack of cultural sensitivity" for failing to notify the individual a Native American and calling the remains "a little piece of history."

Hable said his office has already taken down the post, and they "did not mean for it to be offensive whatsoever."

The remains will be turned over to tribal officials of the Upper Sioux Community, the sheriff said.

The Young Man Lived in Period With Little Available Information

According to Kathleen Blue, an anthropology professor at Minnesota State University, the young man's diet might have been composed of plants, deer, fish, turtles, and freshwater mussels in a local region rather than following mammals and bison that migrate for long distances.

The professor also suggested that the skull might have been buried near the river and carried by the waters for thousands of years, according to the New York Times report.

Dr. Blue also noted that it is possible that only a few people were wandering within the Minnesota region 8,000 years ago "the glaciers have only retreated a few thousand years before that."

"That period, we don't know much about it," the expert said.

She also confirmed that the skull belongs to an ancestor of one of the tribes in the region. Still, it is unusual for Native Americans in Minnesota to allow the bones of their ancestors to be investigated for archaeological purposes.

Tags

Minnesota, Human remains, Archaeology, FBI, Native Americans