Tasmanian Ancestors Returned from Chicago: Remembrance and Repatriation

Date: 25 June 2014

Cultural sensitivity: This article discusses deceased people and ancestral remains. Please read with care.

The verified repatriation date

On 25 June 2014, the Field Museum in Chicago completed the repatriation of three Tasmanian Aboriginal ancestors to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre. The Museum’s own repatriation record identifies this date.

The Tasmanian Government’s calendar refers to 20 June 2014 as the date representatives travelled to the United States to receive the ancestors. That travel date is part of the sequence, but this entry uses 25 June for the completed repatriation. It does not assign the same date to their later arrival in Tasmania.

Bringing ancestors home

The ancestors had been taken from Tasmania during the nineteenth century and eventually entered the Field Museum through its acquisition of the Fuller collection in 1958. The Museum records that it could not establish the individual identities of the three people from the surviving documentation.

Their return followed work by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre and Museum staff. Community representatives participated in a handover and accompanied the ancestors home, continuing a much wider campaign to recover ancestors held in institutions overseas.

Remembrance, dignity and responsibility

This date should be approached as remembrance and recognition of repatriation, rather than a celebration of the collecting practices that made return necessary. Its focus is the dignity of the ancestors, the persistence of their community and the right to determine appropriate care and return.

For schools and workplaces, use respectful language and avoid displaying images of ancestral remains. Discuss why a museum’s possession of an ancestor is different from community consent, and why missing institutional records do not diminish a people’s connection or responsibilities. Public information can support learning about repatriation without disclosing private cultural practices. The story also affirms the continuing strength and presence of Aboriginal people in Lutruwita, rather than repeating historical myths about their disappearance.

Sources and further reading

• Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre: repatriation completed 25 June 2014 — Field Museum
• June: anniversary of Aboriginal repatriation — Tasmanian Department of Premier and Cabinet
• Aboriginal remains returned from Chicago museum to Tasmania — ABC News

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