The Chau Chak Wing Museum announced that it has repatriated human remains to Papua New Guinea.
The return included 16 human crania, which were taken from Papua New Guinea’s Rai Coast in 1876-1877.
The skulls were returned within a ceremony at Gorendu in Madang Province held on Wednesday 19th February.
Representatives from six local villages were present at the ceremony, as well as the festivities across the day. The local villages were home to the people whose crania were returned: Inglam, Sandingby, Bilibili, Bongu, Ibor, and Gorendu.
Museum staff have been in contact with descendants on the Rai Coast for more than 40 years regarding items from the collection, including the skulls. The repatriation follows a formal request made in April 2024 for their return to Papua New Guinea.
Chau Chak Wing Museum Senior Curator Dr Jude Philip accompanied the crania on their journey.
The crania were given to Russian scientist Nickolai N. Miklouho-Maclay in the late 19th century, when he undertook a scientific expedition in Papua New Guinea. According to Miklouho-Maclay’s journal, the skulls were acquired only when freely given and were not exhumed remains.
Jack Simbou, Deputy Secretary at Papua New Guinea’s Department for Community Development and Religion commented, “These ancestors were taken by Nickolai almost 150 years ago, to support his work promoting one shared humanity… Their journey spans time and distance and we extend gratitude to the Chau Chak Wing Museum for reuniting us.“
“Like many other institutions, the Chau Chak Wing Museum is reckoning with its past collection practices,” said Chau Chak Wing Museum Director Michael Dagostino. “We work with communities across the globe to connect them with objects, artefacts and remains that once belonged to them.”
The crania was an addition to the collection of the Macleay Museum in 1888; it was a constituent collection in, what is now, the Chau Chak Wing Museum.
