The Battle of Tugen Hills

news feature The battle of Tugen Hills

Behind claims that the oldest human ancestor has been discovered POPPERFOTO lies a bitter row over access to Kenyan field sites — pitching the bones’ discoverers against some of palaeoanthropology’s biggest names. Declan Butler reports.

year is a long time in Kenyan Remains of the day: Millennium man’s upper palaeoanthropology. In March 2000, arm (right) is just one of the bones unearthed by

AMartin Pickford, a Kenyan-born Martin Pickford and Brigitte Senut. EURELIOS researcher of British extraction, was arrested on charges of collecting without a research palaeoanthropological research. permit and spent five days in a Kenyan jail. The expedition that yielded the remains Now he is the proud co-author of a paper1 of Millennium man is a joint venture describing Orrorin tugenensis, or the ‘Millen- between Pickford’s institution, the Collège nium man’ — a 6-million-year-old find that de France in Paris, and the Community Pickford and his colleagues maintain is the Museums of Kenya, a non-governmental oldest known human ancestor. organization established in 1997. The pro- This claim has sparked intense debate — ject is led by Pickford and Brigitte Senut of Orrorin’s age is not in doubt, but some the Paris Museum of Natural History. researchers question whether it is a member of the human lineage (see page 526). And Permission to dig the scientific controversy is only the begin- Researchers wishing to carry out palaeonto- ning. No sooner had Pickford and his col- logical research in Kenya must obtain a gov- leagues announced the find, at a press ernment permit, and be affiliated with an conference held in Nairobi last December, officially sanctioned Kenyan research orga- than Andrew Hill, chair of anthropology at nization. Traditionally, this role has been Yale University in Connecticut, accused fulfilled by the National Museums. Some Pickford of encroaching upon his site in the scientists allege that this has, over the Tugen Hills, part of Kenya’s Baringo region. decades, enabled the Leakey family to exer- Pickford denies this,and alleges that Richard cise reasonably tight control over who is Leakey, former director-general of the allowed to conduct palaeoanthropological National Museums of Kenya, and until research in Kenya. recently head of the Kenyan civil service, Louis Leakey in the 1930s established the when Richard Leakey barred him from the incited last year’s arrest. Pickford is now dynasty with his wife Mary, also a renowned National Museums following allegations suing him for damages. palaeoanthropologist.Their son Richard has that Pickford had stolen field notes from the The controversy provides a glimpse of the continued the line with his wife Meave, who museums. Pickford claimed that he was bitter rivalries that can flare up between currently heads the National Museums’ falsely accused, and that he had been denied researchers competing for rights to study pre- palaeontology division. due process. cious fossil sites, and how these rivalries can Pickford has long claimed to be a victim Leakey, who earlier this week resigned become intertwined with the politics of host of this concentration of power.He worked in as head of the Kenyan civil service, stepped countries. Although it is not an isolated case, Kenya for his PhD in the 1970s,discovering a down as director-general of the National the fact that the Tugen Hills row involves such molar tooth2 that he argues comes from Museums in 1989. But Pickford did not a prominent figure as Leakey means that it another specimen of Orrorin1.But Pickford’s return to Kenya until 1998, after finding will draw attention to this unseemly side of research in Kenya came to a halt in July 1985, an ally in Andrew Kiptoon, who was then

508 © 2001 Macmillan Magazines Ltd | wwwNATURE | VOL 410 | 29 MARCH 2001 | www.nature.com news feature minister for research and technology. In a Abungu confirms that he received came and dug trenches through the whole letter dated 3 June 1998, Kiptoon invited Leakey’s letter, and that National Museums site,”he says. Pickford to join with Eustace Gitonga,direc- officials were present when Pickford was Senut says that the French team made tor of the Community Museums,in develop- arrested. But when contacted by Nature, enquiries with local authorities to see if Hill ing the archaeological and palaeontological Abungu expressed sympathy for Pickford.“It was still working in the Tugen Hills before potential of the Tugen Hills, adding that appears he has a research permit,”says Abun- beginning the dig.“It appeared that there was it would “not be difficult to obtain the neces- gu.“Pickford has definitely been a victim for no permit issued for the area,” she says. “It sary clearance, work permit, and other a long time.”Abungu also supports the right appeared also that Dr Hill had not put his feet approvals”. of the Community Museums to provide in the area since 1993.” But Hill says he has affiliations for visiting researchers.“The laws visited the Tugen Hills every year except one Bones of contention have been too sympathetic to the National over the past decade, and faxed copies of his From here on, the story becomes almost Museums,”he says. permits and other supporting documents to Kafkaesque. A research permit was granted Leakey did not respond to requests to be Nature. His claims are supported by John to Pickford on 30 October 1998. But Hill interviewed for this article,and has not com- Kingston, an anthropologist at Emory Uni- points to a letter signed by J. E. Ekirapa mented publicly on Pickford’s allegations. versity in Atlanta, Georgia. “The last time I for the permanent secretary of provincial But Hill is trading accusations with Pickford was there was in June 1999, and Andrew was administration, in the office of President and his colleagues.In a short news story pub- there for two months,”he says. Daniel arap Moi, dated 2 November 1998, lished in Science4 in December, he described Several palaeoanthropologists contacted cancelling the permit on the grounds that Pickford’s presence in the Tugen Hills as by Nature declined to comment on such an the application had not been properly “highly irregular”.That article also recount- incendiary row, which seems to be fuelled by submitted. It states: “Any research being ed the story of the withdrawal of Pickford’s deep personal animosities. Pickford certain- undertaken on the strength of the cancelled permit, prompting angry responses from ly has antagonized his opponents: in 1995, permit is illegal and may lead to further both Pickford5 and Gitonga6. he co-authored with Gitonga a book called legal proceedings.” This letter is also Irrespective of the dispute over the validi- Richard E. Leakey: Master of Deceit, which referred to in correspondence dated ty of Pickford’s permit, Hill claims that launched a ferocious attack on Leakey and 21 April 1999 from the same office to the French team encroached upon a site in several other leading palaeoanthropologists. the permanent secretary at the then Min- which the Baringo Paleontological Research Gitonga has also clashed with Leakey — who istry of Home Affairs, National Heritage, Project, a joint venture between his Yale sacked him from his post of exhibits director Culture and Social Services, complaining group and the National Museums, had at the National Museums. that Pickford’s excavations are “illegal and operated since 1980.“We did a very carefully “It is very difficult to know who is unauthorized”. controlled excavation there, and Pickford telling the truth,” says one US researcher, In March 2000, matters came to a head. who asked to remain anonymous. But as Police and National Museums officials the accusations continue to fly, the public raided the Community Museums’ Nairobi ArAreaea of image of palaeoanthropology could be the headquarters and at the same time intercept- detail main loser. ■ Lake ed Pickford in the field. He was charged with Turkana Declan Butler is Nature’s European correspondent. illegal excavation and imprisoned. But 1. Senut, B. et al. C. R. Acad. Sci. 332, 137–144 (2001). proceedings against Pickford came to an 2. Pickford, M. Nature 256, 279–284 (1975). abrupt end in mid-April, when Kenya’s 3. Fléaux, R. Sciences et Avenir No. 648, 18–19 (2001). Baringo 4. Science 290, 2065 (2000). Attorney-General directed the prosecution 5. Pickford, M. Science 291, 986 (2001). to drop the case. UGANDA 6. Gitonga, E. Science 291, 986 (2001). KENYA Pickford and the Community Museums SOMALIA are now suing Leakey, the governors of the Mt. Kenya Richard Leakey is not commenting on the row

National Museums, and the Attorney-Gen- Y that has erupted over the fossil digs in the E L eral,alleging unlawful arrest,false imprison- L Baringo region of Kenya. A Nairobi ment and malicious harassment. V

T In court documents, Pickford claims the F AP I November 1998 letter was concocted to dis- R T rupt his work. He told Nature that he did not A E Mombasa receive the letter until November 1999, and R TANZANIA G Momb argues that it contains several irregularities. But Ekirapa asserts that the letter is genuine. Documents have been filed for the defence that deny all of the charges. Pickford’s dossier of evidence includes a letter dated 14 March 2000 from Leakey to George Abungu, the current director-general of the National Museums3. In this letter, Leakey notes that Pickford is collecting fossils and suggests “that you urgently get assis- tance from the Director of CID and that you send an officer plus someone from [the National Museums] to intercept Pickford. His possessions should be thoroughly searched and any fossils should be confiscat- ed … A search should also be made of his premises in Nairobi.”