November 22, 2006

Natural History Museum urged to return all Aboriginal remains

Posted at 2:01 pm in Similar cases

Leaders of Australia’s Aboriginal Community are continuing to express disquiet about the Natural History Museum’s handling of requests for the return of human remain from their collection.

From:
ABC News (Australia)

Museum urged to return all Indigenous remains
Tuesday, 21 November 2006. 14:29 (AEDT)

A South Australian Aboriginal community says a British museum is acting disgracefully by only returning one of two Indigenous South Australian remains.

The Natural History Museum is returning the remains of one Indigenous South Australian from the Narungga people of the Yorke Peninsula and 17 from Tasmania.

The Narungga community’s chairman, Clinton Wanganeen, says the museum has at least two Narungga people in its collection and both should be returned.

“There are probably other remains for other Aboriginal groups there and I’d be encouraging … the people in Canberra to actually put as much pressure on to get ours. I’d have preferred both our remains come back at the same time,” he said.

The Natural History Museum says the skull of the Narungga person is being returned because it has been discovered the item was taken and brought into England illegally.

It says it is investigating if there are any other Narungga people’s remains in its collection.

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