A significant scientific collection of human remains held for more than a century by the Natural History Museum is to be repatriated to an Aboriginal community in Australia.
Trustees of the museum have agreed in principle to return 138 specimens collected in the 19th century from the Torres Strait Islands, between Australia and New Guinea, by British doctors, missionaries and explorers.
The agreement follows 18 months of negotiations in which scientists have explained the research value of the remains to tribal elders, who are considering whether to make the collection accessible for further study.
Richard Lane, the museum’s director of science, said he was confident that acceptable arrangements would be made. Meanwhile, the museum reserves the right to retain the collection if it appears likely to be destroyed.
“We are pleased to have avoided the polarised debate that has followed other claims for repatriation,” Dr Lane told The Times. “This shows that through dialogue and mutual respect it is possible to build confidence and to reconcile views that seem diametrically opposed.”
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He contrasted the process with a bitter dispute that followed a request in 2006 for the repatriation of Tasmanian remains that were to be cremated. These were eventually returned after scientific tests, and have been buried.
The decision has alarmed many researchers, including some at the museum, who believe that indigenous peoples should not be given a veto over scientific study of human remains.
Tiffany Jenkins, a cultural sociologist and author of Contesting Human Remains in Museum Collections, said: “This is a step backwards. It says that the right to do research should be controlled by people on the basis of biological identity and ancestry.”
Professor Robert Foley, co-director of the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies in Cambridge, said: “There is no doubt that the Torres Strait Islander collection is of enormous anthropological significance, and it is very much to be hoped that it will be available for people to study and learn about human diversity.”
Ned David, a spokesman for the Torres Strait Islanders, said that his community was “deeply touched” by the museum’s move. “This decision has been received with much emotion and is considered as a breakthrough in overseas collecting institutions recognising the importance of laying the spirits of our ancestors to rest,” he said.