Vital step toward healing as ancestors returned home
The ceremony in Tokyo marks the first time ancestors have been repatriated to Australia from Japan.
The remains of seven ancestors were returned from the University of Tokyo, including a Kaurna person from South Australia.
"For many years the ancestral remains of Kaurna old people were collected by museums and universities without consent, which caused great sadness and anger, and these feelings have been carried for generations," Kaurna representative Mitzi Nam said.
"The Traditional Custodians have been tirelessly working to return the Kaurna old people to Country, so they can rest, and while past wrongs cannot be forgotten, pathways to healing can start for all generations."
The University of Kyoto returned two ancestors to representatives from communities in Western Australia, including the Bardi and Jawi communities and the Yawuru community.
The National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo returned one ancestor to Australia.
Bardi and Jawi representative Bolo Angus, from WA's Dampier Peninsula said the return of ancestors is an acknowledgement of past wrongs and showing respect for First Nations cultures.
"Repatriation is a vital step toward healing the deep wounds caused by the forced removal of our ancestors from their resting place," he said.
"For our community, it is not just about bringing bones home - it is about restoring dignity, honouring our old people, and reconnecting spirit to Country.
"This healing is not only for us, the living, but for the spirit of the ancestors who have waited so long to come home."
Neil McKenzie, a Yawuru representative from Broome, said he hopes the repatriation is a step towards reconciliation.
"The return of our Yawuru ancestor acknowledges the truth of Yawuru history and the treatment of our ancestors who were removed from Country without consent," he said.
"We hold genuine hope that this process of truth telling will enable us to gain respectful recognition, so that we can move forward in a truly reconciled manner, leading to collective healing and empowerment."
In April, 36 Queensland ancestors were repatriated from the National History Museum in London, bringing the total of repatriated ancestors from the United Kingdom to more than 1300.
More than 1700 ancestors have been returned from overseas collections to Australia with the help of the federal government.
Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said the government will continue to advocate for the return of ancestors to their Country and people.
"The return of these ancestors to Country, the first such repatriation from Japan, reinforces the continuing shift by collecting institutions internationally to righting some of the past injustices carried out against First Nations people," she said.
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