Domestic repatriation

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

More than over 2,700 ancestors and over 2,240 secret sacred objects have been returned to the custodianship of their communities.

Objectives for the Program are to:

Identify the origin of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains and secret sacred objects held in the collections of the eight funded museums.
Empower Indigenous communities to be involved in the repatriation of their ancestral remains and secret sacred objects.
Repatriate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains and secret sacred objects to their community of origin.
Facilitate discussion with custodians for culturally appropriate storage and access to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains and secret sacred objects.
Support the engagement and/or employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to provide assistance, support and cultural advice to progress the repatriation of ancestral remains and secret sacred objects to communities of origin.

2018–19 Museum Grant Highlights

Australian Museum

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory

National Museum of Australia

Queensland Museum

South Australian Museum

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.

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

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.

Western Australian Museum

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 May 2019, the Department hosted a national meeting of museum repatriation officers in Canberra. The meeting provided an opportunity for repatriation officers from the eight museums funded under the Program to workshop repatriation issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Over the two days, participants presented on a range of repatriation topics including policy development, community consultation, secret sacred objects, use of digital technology and collaborative projects. The key outcomes of the meeting were information sharing, strengthening collaborative partnerships and fostering best practice to better support Indigenous communities.