It isn’t a potential hoax.
The Smithsonian is merely complying with the law (in this case NAGPRA, which abbreviation surprisingly isn’t the same thing as NAMBLA, despite the sodomizing that results from both) and the court decisions. I applaud this attempt to get more study done — although I’m not optimistic that it will work.
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is the pendulum swing from having g-g-granddad's bones being dug up and taken to distant museum for study. The fact that the descendants may not have approved made no never mind to these scientists. This law, passed in 1990, permits the local American Aboriginal tribes to repatriate (reclaim) not only the human remains, but also all cultural artifacts taken from their areas.
Logical problems with this law, like many other laws, assumes a static view of these tribal localities which may or may not be accurate. In this case, with the age of the Kennewick Man, it becomes even more problematical. The fact that the discovery site has been archeologically destroyed, at the behest of the local tribal councils, is indeed a crime against science.
An excellent example of Newton's 3rd Law of action and reaction in the course of human interactions. The former crime of scientific 'body-stealing' has engendered a reaction resulting in the needless destruction of data.