Domestic repatriation

The Indigenous Repatriation Program—Museum Grants (the Program) supports the return of Australian First Nations peoples’ ancestral remains (ancestors) and secret sacred objects (objects) held in eight major Australian museums to their Traditional Custodians.

Museums funded under the Program work in partnership with identified First Nations communities to return their ancestors and objects. The Australian Government recognises the importance and cultural significance of First Nations communities being directly involved in the repatriation process.

More than 2,850 ancestors and 2,330 secret sacred objects have been returned to the custodianship of their communities.

Objectives for the Program are to:

Identify the origin of all ancestors and objects held in the collections of the eight funded museums.
Empower First Nations communities to be involved in the repatriation of their ancestors and objects.
Repatriate ancestors and objects to their Traditional Custodians.
Facilitate discussion with Traditional Custodians for culturally appropriate storage and access to ancestors and objects.
Support the engagement and/or employment of First Nations people to provide assistance, support and cultural advice to progress the repatriation of ancestors and objects to their Traditional Custodians.

Each museum funded under the Program is responsible for their respective repatriation programs.

2021–22 Museum Grant Highlights

In May 2022, the AM returned three Wellington ancestors to community for reburial on Country. The AM reviewed its holdings and developed new master documents for the ancestors and objects they are caring for as well as creating a digital file for each ancestor (351 in total). During the year, the AM also conducted community meetings and consultations to support future repatriations.
The QM repatriated ten ancestors and ten secret sacred objects to Lardil, Yangkaal, Gangalidda, Garawa and Kaiadilt communities in June 2022. The QM also completed construction of a lifting platform to support the physical relocation of a Burnett River Rock engraved boulder which were due to return to Country in late 2022.
SAM returned 61 hair and blood samples to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Corporation. The remains of one ancestor was returned to the Maralinga Tjarutja community and the ancestor was reburied on Country in November 2021.

In December 2021, SAM supported the Kaurna community to rebury 134 Kaurna ancestors at the northern mound of the cemetery within the Smithfield Memorial Park grounds.

In addition, a further 220 Kaurna ancestors from the western areas of Adelaide were reburied in the western mound of the Memorial Park in June 2022.
TMAG undertook consultations with the Pakana community and also packed and crated 15 Petroglyphs ready for their return. TMAG progressed work on the logistical arrangements for transporting the Petroglyphs to the site on Country. The community also undertook preparations at the site, with the return of the Petroglyphs being planned for November 2022.

TMAG returned 14 Pakana/Palawa ancestors to representatives of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre in September 2021.

2020–21 Museum Grant Highlights

The MAGNT successfully repatriated 68 objects from its collection to the Warlpiri people of the Yuendumu community. The senior men from the community celebrated the return of the objects and welcomed home the objects to their Country. The secret sacred objects are now stored safely in a nearby location under the protection of senior men.
QM successfully repatriated five Petroglyphs* from the Brooweena Historical Society in Maryborough back to their original place of carving in Bundaberg. The collaborative project saw them work closely with the Traditional Custodians from the area as well as the University of Queensland and Griffith University to successfully deliver this project.

*Petroglyphs are rock engravings that have spiritual and cultural significance to Indigenous Australians.
TMAG continued its work with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community on the repatriation of a Preminghana Petroglyph and its return to Country. This involved numerous consultations with the community as well as working with an engineering company and transport specialists to determine the most suitable way to relocate the Petroglyph.

2019–2020 Museum Grant Highlights

The Australian Museum (AM) undertook a number of consultations with communities and representative organisations including commencement of initial consultations to inform communities in Mareeba, North Queensland and Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria of holdings of ancestors and secret sacred objects. The AM also engaged a consultant to complete research on a number of ancestors from Eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) undertook a significant research project on Pintubi, Eastern and Western Arrernte material in the Strehlow Collection. MAGNT worked in close consultation with key senior men to review ceremonial song recordings as well as film and photographs to positively identify secret sacred objects. MAGNT also undertook over 175 hours of consultations with key senior men during the year to support further repatriation work.
Stakeholder consultation was undertaken with the La Perouse community to inform and facilitate the return of ancestors to community. The National Museum of Australia (NMA) also undertook consultation with the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Cultural Centre (KALACC) to progress discussions on the return of 15 secret sacred objects. At the request of the community the objects will be cared for by the NMA. The NMA also updated their secret sacred objects data base with digitised archival records.
Stakeholder consultation with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Corporation (TAC) resulted in two community representatives from the TAC attending the South Australian Museum (SAM) to participate in the formal handover of six casts of Aboriginal ancestors with provenance to Tasmania. Five of the six casts were from three known individuals and were made as direct transfers from each person's face in the 19th century. The casts have now been returned to traditional custodians in Tasmania. SAM also hosted a number of community visits by groups of senior Central Australian men to SAM, undertook consultations, fieldwork and reburial planning with the Barngarla, Narungga, Kaurna and Kokatha Aboriginal Corporations to support ongoing repatriation activities.
The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) completed an audit of the ancestors and secret sacred objects currently in its care. As part of the audit on secret sacred objects, TMAG also facilitated a viewing of Central Australian ceremonial objects by Senior Arrente Elders and engaged a Tasmanian Aboriginal cultural consultant to support the project.
The Western Australian Museum (WAM) facilitated the return to Country of two ancestors to the Dambimangarri community for reburial on Country around Kunmunya and Macdonald Range in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. This was the result of working in partnership with the Dambimangarri Rangers and Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Cultural Centre. Three ancestors were reburied in the Murchison area at Chilimony, Wagoe Farm and Lucky Bay in partnership with the Geraldton Office of the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage and conducted by Traditional Custodians from the Hutt River Working Group. WAM repatriated a female ancestor to a location in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste area of Western Australia's south-west. The ancestor was removed from a cave in the early 1960s. In consultation with the South West Land and Sea Council's South West Boojarah Working Group and the Undalup Association, the ancestor was reburied in the same location from where she was originally removed.

2018–2019 Museum Grant Highlights

The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory completed research with senior Elders from the Eastern Arrernte Community that resulted in the documentation of 27 highly significant sites relating to sacred objects held in the Strehlow Research Centre collection. This research will inform the repatriation of 25 Therereta sacred objects back to Community.
On 1 August 2019, the South Australian Museum returned five Kaurna Old People to traditional custodians for burial at Holdfast Bay. The return to Country ceremony also included six Kaurna Old People returned from the Natural History Museum in London in March 2019 under the international element of the Program.

The South Australian Museum held a Repatriation Consultative Forum on 18 October 2018 that was attended by over 50 Traditional Owners representing Aboriginal communities from across South Australia. The forum enabled discussion between communities and government agencies to guide future repatriation activities.

The South Australian Museum also worked in partnership with the Western Australian Museum and communities in Western Australia to return seven ancestors. In September 2019 the ancestors were transferred to the Western Australia Museum for temporary care until they can be returned to Country.
The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) completed research in partnership with the Strehlow Research Centre in the Northern Territory to support the repatriation of secret sacred men's objects back to the Northern Territory. TMAG also undertook consultations with its Tasmanian Aboriginal Advisory Council to develop a strategy to manage the repatriation of 12 Tasmanian Aboriginal ancestors of poor provenance.
In October 2018, the Western Australian Museum returned the remains of a Tjiwarl ancestor to the community of origin in the Goldfields of WA. The Community undertook a Ceremony where they respectfully laid the Ancestor to rest in the historic Sir Samuel cemetery.

In 2018–19 consultations were also undertaken with eight communities across Western Australia to progress the repatriation of ancestors back to community.

Museums Repatriation Officers Meeting

In April 2023, the Department hosted a national meeting of Museum Repatriation Officers in Melbourne. The meeting provided an opportunity for repatriation officers from the eight museums funded under the Program to workshop repatriation issues affecting First Nations people. Over the two days, participants presented on a range of topics including enhancing collaborative projects, partnerships and returning ancestors to Country and community consultations. There was also discussion on establishing best practice for the handling and care of ancestors and objects; ensuring cultural safety of staff involved in repatriation; and discussing the ethics and practicalities of provenance research. The key outcomes of the meeting were information sharing, improving collaboration and fostering best practice to better support First Nations communities to repatriate their ancestors and objects.

2022–23 funded museums

For more information on the Program, email repatriation@arts.gov.au.

For more information about the respective museum repatriation programs and the return of ancestors and objects in their safekeeping, please contact the museums directly.

Indigenous Repatriation

The Australian Government supports the repatriation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains (ancestors) and secret sacred objects (objects) which contributes to healing and reconciliation.
International Repatriation

The Australian Government seeks the voluntary and unconditional return of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains (ancestors) held in overseas collecting institutions and with private holders.