A ceremony in Berlin on Thursday marked the return of ancestral remains from Germany to Australia, highlighting ongoing restitution efforts. Five sets of remains, some held since 1880, were returned by German museums to representatives from the Ugar Island community of the Torres Strait Islands. This event is part of broader initiatives by German institutions to repatriate remains and cultural artifacts acquired during colonial times. Rocky Stephen, a Ugar Island representative, expressed mixed emotions at the ceremony, describing it as both a "sad but very joyful moment."
Hermann Parzinger, head of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, emphasized that these remains were taken during a period when Europeans often appropriated cultural items with little regard for the originating communities. Parzinger stressed the responsibility of museums to facilitate repatriation where possible. "These ancestral remains were never meant to be here," he said. Natasha Smith, Australia's ambassador to Germany, noted that to date, 162 sets of remains have been returned to Australia from Germany, adding that the returns are "an extremely high priority" for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as well as the government. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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