14 First Nations ancestors will return home from the Smithsonian’s, National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. today.

Chief Mark Tayac of the Piscataway Nation, welcoming the Australian First Nations delegation as part of the repatriation ceremony held at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, USA. Photo by James Di Loreto, image courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution.
Chief Mark Tayac of the Piscataway Nation, welcoming the Australian First Nations delegation as part of the repatriation ceremony held at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, USA.

Traditional Custodians and Australian Government representatives have travelled to Washington D.C. today to accompany 14 First Nations ancestors back home from the National Museum of Natural History.

Seven ancestors will be returned to their respective Traditional Custodians from the Ngarrindjeri, South Australia; Eastern Maar, Victoria; and Yawuru, Western Australia communities.

The Australian Government will return a further five ancestors with provenance to Victoria, the Northern Territory and Western Australia under Australian Government stewardship along with two ancestors with provenance to a community in Victoria at the community’s request.

With this repatriation, 1,700 First Nations ancestors have been returned from overseas collecting institutions and private collectors since 1990, including 139 ancestors from the United States of America.
This is the fourth return since 2008 of ancestors from the National Museum of Natural History.

Read the Minister’s Media release.