The skull of an Aboriginal man is set to be repatriated to Tasmania from a Scottish university after over 170 years in foreign collections.
The University of Aberdeen will hand over the remains to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC) following a ceremony on Friday.
Limited records show the remains belonged to a “Native of Van Diemen’s Land, who was shot on the Shannon River”.
They were acquired by the university in 1852 after the death of William MacGillivray, a Regius Professor of Natural History. However, how MacGillivray came to possess the skull remains a mystery.
It is thought the man was a member of the Big River tribe and that the decapitation likely took place in the 1820s or 1830s.
“Given the violence and racism that led to their acquisition, it would be unacceptable for these ancestral remains to be used for research, teaching or exhibitions purposes,” Head of University Collections Neil Curtis said.
“We are pleased that the remains of this young man can now be handed over to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre for appropriate burial in his homeland.”
TAC spokesperson Andry Sculthorpe said the return is a significant moment for the local Aboriginal community.
“We applaud the institutions that have the courage to let go of their perceptions of intellectual supremacy, embrace their own humanity and do what is right by the people who are most impacted by the atrocities they have inflicted in the past,” he said.
“This young man’s murder will not be forgotten and we will bring him home to rest at last.”
