Arrow shaft not Captain Cook bone

DNA testing has shot down theories that an arrow held by an Australian museum was made out of a bone from British explorer Captain 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 today, the 234th anniversary of the day Cook stepped ashore in what is now southern Sydney.

It is now believed the bone-like material, which is about six 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 also examined the bone in the arrow shaft and found the material was unlikely to be human bone.

The museum’s Pacific collections manager Dr Jude Philp said the findings do not detract from the intrigue surrounding the artefact.

“While it would be wonderful to conclusively be able to say that the ‘bone’ is from Captain 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.

Cook was killed, along with four marines, in Hawaii on February 14, 1779, during a dispute with natives.

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 may have been kept by the Hawaiians, or possibly that his entire remains were swapped with another sailor.

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 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 may 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.