Six First Nations ancestors will be accompanied back home by Traditional Custodians and Government representatives.

Smoking ceremony with Michael Douglas, Wotjobaluk Nation. Photo: Austrian Academy of Sciences/Bill Lorenz.
Smoking ceremony with Michael Douglas, Wotjobaluk Nation. Photo: Austrian Academy of Sciences/Bill Lorenz.

The Austrian Academy of Sciences and the University of Vienna returned six ancestors to Traditional Custodians and Government representatives.

Three ancestors will be returned to the custodianship of their respective communities: one to Dharawal Nation (Port Hacking, Cronulla, NSW), one to Ngiyampaa Nation (Nymagee, Cobar, NSW) and one to Wotjobaluk Nation (Wimmera River, Victoria).

One Yuin Nation (Wagonga, NSW) ancestor will be returned under Australian Government stewardship at the request of the community and two ancestors will be returned to South Australia and New South Wales so they can be cared for closer to home.

This is the second repatriation from the Austrian Academy of Sciences following the return of 30 ancestors in 2011.

The past 30 years has seen the return of 1,686 ancestors from overseas. The Government maintains it commitment to advocating for the voluntary and unconditional repatriation of ancestors held by overseas collecting institutions and private holders and facilitating their return to Australia.

More information about the Australian Government’s Indigenous Repatriation Program can be found here.