Five sets of ancestral remains from Australia that had been in German museum collections since the 19th century were returned at a ceremony on Thursday, marking a significant step in ongoing efforts to repatriate human remains and cultural artifacts taken during colonial times.
Three sets of remains that had been in Berlin since 1880 were handed over, along with two other sets of remains held in the northwestern German city of Oldenburg. Representatives of the Ugar Island community, part of the Torres Strait Islands off the northeastern tip of Australia, traveled to Berlin to honor their ancestors and accompany their remains on their journey home.
