University of Aberdeen Repatriates SkullTasmanian Aboriginal Man After Nearly Two Centuries

The remains, acquired through colonial-era violence, will be ceremonially buried in Tasmania on Friday, marking a significant act of cultural restoration.

• The skull, believed to belong to a young man from the Big River tribe, was likely taken following his murder in the early 19th century to fuel the trade in Aboriginal body parts.
• The University of Aberdeen purchased the remains in 1852 as part of a collection by William MacGillivray, a professor of natural history.
• Initially used for medical education, the skull was later moved to the university’s human culture collection in the 2000s.
• The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, recognized as the appropriate organization for such returns, was contacted in 2019 to discuss repatriation, which was approved in 2020.
• This repatriation is part of a broader movement addressing the unethical acquisition of Indigenous remains and artifacts, including the university’s return of a Benin bronze to Nigeria in 2021.

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