Return of Indigenous Cultural Property
Australia's major museums hold large collections of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains and objects of secret and/or sacred significance (secret sacred objects).
Most museums also have policies and programs that acknowledge and support the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to decide what will happen to their community's cultural property.
Over the past 20 years, museums and Indigenous communities have worked together to develop arrangements for the repatriation of Indigenous ancestral remains and secret sacred objects to their communities of origin. The return of this cultural property is a key part of the reconciliation process.
The Return of Indigenous Cultural Property Program
The Return of Indigenous Cultural Property (RICP) Program aims to return Indigenous ancestral remains and secret sacred objects held in major government-funded museums to their communities of origin where possible and when requested.
The program supports Australia's major government-funded museums to:
- identify the origins of all ancestral remains and secret sacred objects held by museums where possible;
- notify communities of ancestral remains and secret sacred objects held in museums;
- appropriately store ancestral remains and secret sacred objects if this is requested by communities; and
- arrange for repatriation where and when it is requested.
Through the program, the Australian Government, state and territory governments and the museums sector collaborate to resolve issues relating to Australian collections of ancestral remains and secret sacred objects.
The RICP Program is overseen by a Management Committee of museum and Indigenous representatives from each state, the Northern Territory and Museums Australia. The Committee is chaired by a representative of DEWHA.
The eight museums eligible to participate in the program are:
- Australian Museum
- Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
- Museum Victoria
- National Museum of Australia
- Queensland Museum/
- South Australian Museum
- Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
- Western Australian Museum
The Australian Capital Territory does not hold collections of Indigenous remains and secret sacred objects, so does not participate in the program.
The RICP Program does not apply to private or university collections, or to holdings overseas.
In the 2007-08 Budget the Australian Government committed $4.716 million over four years as part of its contribution to continue the RICP Program.
The RICP Program is an initiative of the Cultural Ministers Council
Contact email: RICP@environment.gov.au
National Principles
The activities undertaken through the RICP Program are guided by the RICP National Principles. The principles were developed specifically for the RICP program and are based on Museums Australia’s 2005 principles and guidelines for Australian museums working with Indigenous cultural heritage: Continuous Cultures, Ongoing Responsibilities. The RICP Program National Principles refer only to Indigenous ancestral remains and secret sacred objects and associated material held in the National Museum of Australia and state and territory museums.
National Coordination Framework
The National Coordination Framework (NCF) has been developed to provide principles and strategies to guide and support the coordination of domestic repatriation activities undertaken by museums through the RICP Program. The objective of the NCF is to assist the coordinated transfer of ancestral remains and secret sacred objects from the museums participating in the RICP Program to their state or territory of origin under a system of joint responsibility that aims to benefit both Indigenous communities and museums.
International Repatriation Program
The International Repatriation Program facilitates the return of Indigenous human remains held in overseas collections to their communities of origin. The program is managed by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
Information on the international repatriation program is available at http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sa/indigenous/progserv/engagement/repatriation
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