In Skull Wars, archaeologist David Hurst Thomas traces the 500-year roots of the Kennewick Man controversy. From Thomas Jefferson's invention of scientific archaeology to the brutal massacres in which skulls of Indian warriors were sent east to build museum collections; from the strange fates of Ishi and Qisuk to the astonishing power of oral tradition in preserving centuries-old memories, this book tells what really went on between archaeologists and Indians - and shows how the two groups can work together in the future.