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.
Hermann Parzinger, the head of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, emphasized that these ancestral remains were never meant to be in Germany. He acknowledged the historical context of colonial exploitation, where Europeans appropriated artifacts and desecrated burial places of other cultures.
The restitution of these remains brings the total number of ancestral remains returned to Australia from Germany to 162, and about 1,700 from around the world. Australia's ambassador to Germany, Natasha Smith, highlighted the significance of these returns for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the government.
Ugar Island representative Rocky Stephen expressed mixed emotions, describing the moment as sad yet joyful. He emphasized the healing process that will occur when the ancestors are finally returned to their homeland after 144 years.
Berlin's museums are committed to facilitating the repatriation of remains to their countries and communities of origin. This aligns with broader efforts in Europe and North America to address ownership disputes over objects looted during colonial times.
In a recent development, Germany and Nigeria signed an agreement in 2022 to return hundreds of artifacts known as the Benin Bronzes, taken from Africa by a British colonial expedition over 120 years ago.
