Australian Museum Returns 18 Ancestral Remains to Rapa Nui
The Australian Museum has returned 18 ancestral remains to the people of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), according to a July 27 announcement by Chile’s National Cultural Heritage Service. The remains, known locally as Ivi Tupuna, include 17 skulls and one sample of hair, held by the museum since the late 19th century after being removed during an 1882 German naval expedition and acquired by the Australian Museum in 1883. A repatriation ceremony took place at Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago, attended by Chilean undersecretary of cultural heritage Emilio De la Cerda and representatives from the Rapa Nui Council of Elders, CODEIPA, the Australian Embassy in Chile, and the Australian Museum, before the remains were flown to Rapa Nui. Carlos Edmuns Paoa, president of the Rapa Nui Council of Elders, said the return strengthens community memory and spirituality, and future care will follow protocols set by the Rapa Nui people.
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This story was covered in Museums on the Move, Dissent on Trial