Bristol returns cultural artefacts taken from Larrakia people in Australia

The head of Bristol council, Tony Dyer (left), shakes hands with Nigel Browne, a representative of the Larrakia community, as the city’s museum formally returns the artefacts. Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/The Guardian

For decades, they have languished in storage in the basement of a museum in the English West Country. Finally, an extraordinary collection of weapons and ceremonial objects taken from the Larrakia people more than a century ago is beginning a winding journey home to the saltwater landscapes of the Northern Territory in Australia.

During an emotionally charged ceremony, Bristol city council formally handed over 33 objects including spears that would have been used to hunt creatures from fish to buffalo, some still gleaming with the red ochre used to decorate them.