Larrakia people are known as Saltwater People, their Country includes the modern-day city of Darwin in the Northern Territory.
Since 2021, Larrakia Elders have worked closely with AIATSIS and the Fowler Museum to identify and facilitate the return of these culturally significant items, which include 10 glass spearheads and a kangaroo tooth headband once worn by a revered Larrakia Elder.
These traditional Larrakia tools and woven fibre artifacts in today’s return ceremony are ceremonial items of deep spiritual and cultural importance and their return marks a significant step toward restoring cultural heritage to its rightful custodians.
These items, collected in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were donated to the museum and have remained outside of their community for generations.
This marks the second time the Fowler Museum, in partnership with AIATSIS have completed a cultural heritage return. In July 2024, the Fowler Museum facilitated the repatriation of Warumungu cultural materials.
