US Museum Returns Indigenous Ancestral Remains to Australia

Xinhua/APP

Canberra: The Australian government has welcomed the repatriation of Indigenous remains from the US Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

In a joint statement released on Friday, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and Minister for the Arts Tony Burke said the remains of 14 Indigenous ancestors have been returned to Australia from the Washington-based museum.

Of the ancestors, seven will be returned to their respective traditional custodians in the states of Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia, and five will be returned to their home states under the stewardship of the government. Two others will be returned to a community in Victoria.

Since 1990, the remains of 1,700 Indigenous Australians have been repatriated from institutions and collections around the world, according to the Australian government.

Friday’s repatriation marks the fourth return of Indigenous remains to Australia from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History since 2008.