Arrow not made
of Capt. Cook’s boneNew tests suggests the arrow
material is not even human
SYDNEY >> DNA testing has shot down theories that an arrow held by an Australian museum was made out of a bone from British explorer Capt. James Cook's leg, finding that the remains probably are not even human.
The Sydney-based Australian Museum announced the findings of DNA tests on the arrow's shaft yesterday, the 234th anniversary of the day Cook stepped ashore in what is now southern Sydney.
It is now believed that the bonelike material, which is about 6 inches long and is attached to a metal arrow head, could be antler or possibly bone from a sea mammal.
Testing on the arrow at universities in Australia and New Zealand showed no presence of human DNA.
A forensic archaeologist and an orthopedic surgeon also examined the bone in the arrow shaft and found the material was unlikely to be human bone.
The museum's Pacific collections manager, Jude Philp, said the findings do not detract from the intrigue surrounding the artifact.
"While it would be wonderful to conclusively be able to say that the 'bone' is from Capt. Cook, the chances of this are highly unlikely," she said.
But Philp added that the arrow's origin would likely remain a source of mystery.
"People will always find new challenges and new stories and new intrigues to follow up and pursue," she said.
Cook was killed, along with four marines, in Hawaii on Feb. 14, 1779, during a dispute with locals.
His remains were returned to the crew aboard his ship Resolution three days later and then buried at sea. But some people believe some of his body might have been kept by the Hawaiians, or possibly that his entire remains were swapped with another sailor's.
The arrow bone intrigue began in 1824 when it was allegedly given to a doctor in London.
The Australian Museum eventually bought the arrow as part of a collection of Cook relics in 1894, including two "authenticity statements" verifying the bone was from Cook.
Philp said yesterday that the arrow had been identified as coming from the northwest coast of America -- which Cook visited during his third and final voyage of exploration.
She said Cook might have collected the arrow in America and traded it with Hawaiians before his death.
Australia's Queensland University plans further testing to determine the exact nature of the material that makes up the arrow's shaft.