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Glenn Roberts 206-524-3665 | Lake and Company Real Estate | Marjie Cunningham 206-380-0718 |
| A Trip Back In Time
Lucy, Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi, Ötzi, or Kennewick Man: who is the most interesting of them all? An anthropologist would tell you that Lucy wins hands down. I wanted to see for myself, so Marjie and I went to the Pacific Science Center recently for a closer look at Lucy and the chance to observe the historical artifacts of ancient Ethiopia. All very interesting. Dinkenesh is Lucy’s Ethiopian name, and it means wonderful one. Scientists know her as an Australopith, but most of the world knows her as Lucy, a name derived from the Beatles’ song, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, popular at the time of her discovery. From the exhibition and especially the mural that depicts life 3,200,000 years ago on an East African savannah, Lucy must have lead a simple life as a gatherer of fruits, roots and nuts in a hunter gatherer clan of other Australopiths. She and her extended family must have had some fear of savage animals and of other Australopiths not friendly to their tribe. Lucy is no doubt an important evolutionary link, but all and all on the WHAT meter, she lead a pretty placid life. I find myself more drawn to the others listed above. Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi, the naturally mummified body of young man of about 19 was discovered in 1999 in British Columbia by some hunters. The name Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi translates from the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations language to Long Ago Person Found. One summer day Kwäday left the coast and in three days traveled some 60 miles inland. There was no evidence of trauma and the probable cause of death was hypothermia. Was he a hunter like his finders, or was he explorer in search of a trade route to the east? An iron knife, a walking stick and an atala and dart were among his possessions. He wore a garment of 90 squirrel skins sewn together and a woven hat. When did he make his final mountain hike? Probably about the time Columbus was headed west across the Atlantic. The Kennewick Man’s remains were discovered along the Columbia River in 1996 and have since been carbon dated and are believed to be 9,300 years old. It is speculated that Kennewick Man’s origins are Asian and his forbearers arrived in North America about 12,000 years ago by crossing the Bering Straight. Kennewick Man seems to have been a warrior and a survivor. Scientists found a 3 inch stone projectile (spear point? arrow head?) lodged in his ilium which the bone had grown around. Kennewick Man was around 50 years old when he died. I can only imagine that he often regaled other members of his clan around nightly campfires with stories of “back in the day”. Ötzi is my favorite. He was found in the Schnalstal glacier in the Alps near the border of Italy and Austria in 1991. Scientists have learned a great deal about where in Italy he spent most of his 45 years and what types of jobs he may have had throughout his life. The descriptions of his shoes and clothing are interesting and most exciting of all are the various theories presented about the last hours of his journey, or flight.
Here are some Wikipedia links: And of course, there are many other sources to read about these individuals. |
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Marjie Cunningham and Glenn Roberts have been licensed Realtors since 1985. We rely on your referrals to sustain our business. Thank you for your continued support. |