Ancestral Return: Waluwarra Family Reunited with Remains After a Century Lost to Museums and Collections
A century after their ancestors were taken, the Waluwarra people of Queensland are experiencing a profound reunion, as remains discovered in institutions across Australia and even Germany are returned to their descendants. The ongoing effort to repatriate ancestral remains highlights the enduring legacy of colonialism and the complex journey toward reconciliation.
The story began approximately three months ago when Elizabeth Dempsey and her sister, sylvia Price, representing the Bularnu Waluwarra Wangkayujuru Aboriginal Corporation, received an email from the Australian federal arts department. The message detailed the discovery of Waluwarra ancestral remains at the institute of anatomy at the University of Cologne. “I questioned, ‘how coudl our Australian government allow that to happen, for our ancestor’s remains to be removed out of Australia?'” Price recounted, expressing initial disbelief. “I came to the realisation that this has happened in the past. We can’t change it, but we need to move on.”
Further investigation revealed a disturbing history linked to Dr. Walter Roth, a former Queensland government anthropologist. In 1929,Roth sold remains to the University of Cologne,a sale that ultimately contributed to his resignation amid public outcry. The practice of collecting and trading Indigenous remains was widespread at the time,fueled by a colonial fascination with anthropology and a disregard for Indigenous cultural sensitivities. In some instances, remains were taken from the sites of massacres or exhumed from burial grounds.
The story took a notably disturbing turn with the revelation that one of the Waluwarra ancestors initially held by Roth was traded in 1936 to a German university professor in exchange for the skull of an Inca person from Peru. Another ancestor was discovered by road workers outside Mount Isa in 1973 and remained in a forensic facility until 2016, when custody was transferred to the Queensland Museum’s repatriation team.
This month, all three ancestors were formally reunited with their descendants in moving ceremonies held in Sydney and Brisbane. The remains will be held in a secure keeping place while the Waluwarra community prepares for their final return to country.During the Sydney ceremony, Dempsey reflected on her grandfather and the sounds of his clapsticks, a poignant reminder of the cultural connection severed by the initial removal of the remains.
representatives from both the Australian and Queensland museums offered apologies to the Waluwarra people. “We don’t want to hold any remorse against them,because we know that the staff have done all they can to help us return our ancestor,and that’s good enough for us,” Price stated,expressing a sense of closure and a focus on healing.”It feels like you’ve cried all your tears, you’ve grieved long enough – now its time for healing.”
The Waluwarra case underscores a broader, ongoing crisis. Over the past 35 years, more than 1,790 Aboriginal and torres Strait Islander ancestral remains have been repatriated from 11 countries, but an unknown number remain abroad. Australian museums are actively engaged in repatriation efforts, with eight major institutions now led by Indigenous teams and receiving up to $100,000 annually in federal funding to support the work. However, the rate of discovery continues to outpace the rate of return.Remains are frequently unearthed during construction, exposed by erosion, or found in private collections.
Laura McBride, director of First nations at the Australian Museum, emphasized the personal connection to these remains. “These people aren’t ancient human remains,” she said. “The human remains that we hold are generally from post colonisation, so they’re our grandparents, our great-grandparents.” The Queensland Museum faces similar challenges,holding approximately 840 ancestral remains,many originating from the actions of the native mounted police. Bianca Beetson, the museum’s executive director of First Nations, noted that “our returns to community are being outstripped by the numbers of ancestors that are being returned,” with remains even being discovered in people’s homes.
The repatriation process is intricate by incomplete records, native title disputes, concerns about the security of burial sites, and insufficient funding for research and consultation. Despite these obstacles, Beetson affirmed the critical importance of continuing the work.”we talk about it being the most important act of reconciliation,” she said. “Do we want these ancestors sitting in a museum for another two, three hundred years?” .
