First Nations’ artefacts will return to Queensland under an agreement between the Queensland Museum and the Museum of Vancouver.
Secret Sacred material will also be returned under the deal, announced today.
State Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Leanne Enoch said, initially, a number of items would be transferred to the Queensland Museum where they will be cared for, before they were returned home to communities.
She said the agreement came after meeting with the Museum of Vancouver last year to discuss their proactive and progressive repatriation program.
“This engagement has generated interest from other international institutions interested in returning First Nations’ artefacts back to Queensland, such as Sheffield Museum who have proactively reached out to seek a similar agreement,” she said.
Minister Enoch said the Queensland Museum continued to work with other worldwide institutions to secure the return of Queensland Ancestral Remains, Secret Sacred objects and general artefacts, including the Natural History Museum in London, the Ethnological Museum of Berlin and a number of European museums.
“Queensland Museum is also recruiting five new positions to engage and enhance Queensland Museum’s relationships with First Nations peoples and coordinate the care and management of Ancestral Remains and Secret Sacred objects held in care.”
She said the museum cared for approximately 1394 Ancestral Remains and Secret Sacred objects belonging to First Nations peoples from Australia and the Pacific.
Queensland Museum Director, First Nations, Dr Bianca Beetson said repatriation of Ancestral Remains, Secret Sacred objects and artefacts was increasingly seen as a critical step in the process of reconciliation with First Nations peoples around the world.
“Many institutions are now addressing this process proactively and are leading by example in directly contacting the Queensland Museum,” Dr Beetson said.
