# Can I keep my skull?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-my-skull/253212>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 2, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-my-skull/253212 "2004-07-02T14:19:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-my-skull/253212/41 "2004-07-14T14:19:40Z")

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> [@lemon\_martini2](#):
>
> I can’t bear the suspense any more. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LEFT FOOT? 😕

WE JUST TRACE#D THE CALL! THE LEFT FOOT IS IN THE HOUSE WITH YOU! GET OUT NOW! 😉😃😛

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**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2004, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-my-skull/253212/42 "2004-07-14T16:28:59Z")

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> [@PoorYorick](#):
>
> From what I understand, English and Anglo Saxon common law has for centuries allowed descendents to have final say how their ancestors’ remains were treated, and NAGPRA was passed partly to extend that consideration to Native Americans. This has been a hotly contested issue among some anthropologists.

I understand that this became a problem with Kennewick Man. Because NAGPRA assumes that any human remains older than a certain age are Native American.

So Kennewick Man, who is thousands and thousands of years old, falls under NAGPRA, despite the fact that skeletal evidence suggests that he might not be Native American at all.

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