They were looted from graves, traded by sailors and collectors. Now they’re heading home

London: The remains of 36 Aboriginal ancestors will be returned to Australia following an emotional handover ceremony at London’s Natural History Museum, the latest step in a decades-long effort to repatriate the bodies of men and women taken during the colonial era.

The formal handover involved representatives from four regional Queensland communities – Woppaburra (Keppel Islands) and Warrgamay (Ingham), Wuthathi and Yadhaigana (Cape York) – and marks one of the largest culturally significant returns from a single British institution.

Filmmaker and actor Wayne Blair (right) shares a moment with Smithy Wilson, a Wuthathi representative, during a repatriation ceremony at London’s Natural History Museum.Credit: Trustees of the Natural History Museum

Six of the ancestors have been positively identified and will be returned to their communities in the coming days. The remaining 30, believed to originate from Queensland, will be held under the federal government’s stewardship until their traditional custodians can be determined.

Actor and acclaimed filmmaker Wayne Blair, representing the Woppaburra community, said the return of the remains was an act of justice and a symbol of reconciliation.

“You are not returning science specimens,” Blair said. “You are returning ancestors to their families, to their descendants, whose eternal pain of loss brings healing.”

“Repatriation is the only open door for reconciliation to begin – truly – healing the injustices of the past.”

The Natural History Museum – which holds about 20,000 human remains from across the world – has been at the centre of renewed efforts to address the historic wrongs of the 19th and early 20th centuries when the remains of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were taken from burial sites and traded as scientific curiosities.

Some remains were looted directly from graves; others were purchased or exchanged between sailors, collectors and naturalists, often without the knowledge or consent of Indigenous families or communities. Many were sent to Britain to satisfy a growing scientific fascination with the Indigenous people who had lived on the continent for tens of thousands of years before British colonisation.

Thomas Holden, the chairman of the Warrgamay Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, said the removal of his ancestors from their resting places was an act of “deep disrespect”.

“It’s heavy to take on, we have to carry them fellas back, and I am thinking about cultural safety, thinking about the mob and how there is more work to be done,” he said.

Representatives of the Wuthathi, Woppaburra and Warrgamay communities (from left) Smithy Wilson, Wayne Blair, Thomas Holden and Keron Murray.Credit: Trustees of the Natural History Museum

Among the remains returned was his direct ancestor, King Billy, whose skull and femur were taken following a grave robbery in the early 1900s.

“For generations, our people have carried the pain of knowing our ancestors were taken from us. Their remains held in institutions and collections far from home,” he said, adding that repatriation was about reaffirming sovereignty, rights, and cultural obligations to care for his people, even in death.

Over the past three decades, more than 1775 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains have been returned from overseas institutions and private collections, including more than 1300 from the United Kingdom. Of these, some 200 were repatriated from the Natural History Museum over the past six years.

Thomas Holden, on behalf of the Warrgamay community, speaks about his ancestor King Billy.Credit: Trustees of the Natural History Museum

Holden said the return also served as a powerful reminder to the younger generation about the sacredness of burial grounds and the importance of protecting cultural heritage.

Wuthathi man Keron Murray echoed the sentiment, calling the process a vital step in repairing the deep spiritual and cultural harm caused by colonial-era practices.

“It allows us to honour our Old People, to bring them back to Country and allow their spirits to rest,” Murray said. “It strengthens our community and helps to heal intergenerational trauma.”

Dr Doug Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, said staff conducted extensive archival research to determine the origins of the remains, which was then shared with the Australian government to guide the repatriation process.

He said it was a “deeply poignant moment”.

The remains will be flown to Queensland this weekend. A special homecoming ceremony will be held on Monday at the Queensland Museum in Brisbane.

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