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10,000 Year Old Remains Of Native American Man Returned To Channel Islands

(National Park Service photo)
San Miguel Island was home to Tuqan Man.

The remains of a man who died some 10,000 years ago have been returned home to the South Coast island which was his home.

A man researchers call “Tuqan Man” died, and was buried on San Miguel Island. In 2005, some archaeologists surveying a historic site in the islands found the remains exposed in a gully.

The National Park Services consulted with the Chumash tribe, and it was decided to excavate the remains because they were in a cliff in danger of being eroded away into the ocean. A full scientific study was conducted, with the tribe participating.

The research confirmed the remains were those of a Native American man.

Once the research was completed, the remains of “Tuqan Man” were turned over to the Chumash Tribe, which laid them to rest on the island with a traditional burial.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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