The remains of 36 Aboriginal ancestors will be returned to Australia, in the last repatriation of the bodies taken from their traditional lands.
Six of the ancestors’ bodies were officially returned to their Queensland – Woppaburra, Warrgamay, Wuthathi and Yadhaighana – communities during a ceremony at the London Natural History Museum.
The Australian government will take care of the remains of other ancestors until their traditional guards can be found.
The remains of indigenous peoples were taken from Australia by a range of people, including scientists and explorers, after the British colonization of the country in the 18th century.
These remains found themselves in museums, universities and private collections around the world.
However, the growing ethical concerns concerning the collection, sale and presentation of human remains have led to an increase in efforts to return them in recent decades.
“The suppression of our ancestors from their resting places was an act of lack of respect – which broke our spiritual and cultural ties with the country,” said Thomas Holden, who represented the community of Warrgamay, during the ceremony on Thursday.
“Repatriation is much more than bringing our ancestors back to the house. It is a question of reaffirming our sovereignty, our rights and our deep cultural and spiritual obligations to take care of our people, even in death.”
It is the fourth group of ancestral remains that the Natural History Museum returned to Australia. He said the staff had undertaken “detailed archive research” involving several organizations to find out where the remains come from.
According to the Australian Government Arts Office, the last repatriation brings the number of First Nations ancestors sent from around the world to 1,775. This includes more than 200 series of remains of the Natural History Museum.
He added that discussions took place with other private institutions and holders in the United Kingdom on the “unconditional and voluntary return of other ancestors”.
“The repatriation of our ancestors is a vital stage in the healing of the injuries of the past and the restoration of the spiritual and cultural balance which was disturbed when they were removed from their homeland,” said Wuthathi representative Keron Murray.
Wayne Blair, an acclaimed actor and filmmaker who represented the Woppaburra people, described repatriation as “an eternal flame, eternal healing is both spiritual and physical, for our elders and our community”.
“You do not return to scientific specimens, you return ancestors to their families, their descendants.”
