The four had been held since 1840.
At a ceremony attended by Germany’s foreign minister at Pirltawardli (Possum Park) in North Adelaide, the cultural heritage items were returned from the GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde in Leipzig, Germany.
The items are a kathawirri (sword), tantanaku (club or bark peeler), wirnta (spear), and wikatyi (net) which were sent to Germany in 1840 by Lutheran missionaries.
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) temporarily stored and cared for the four artefacts from August until their return to the Kaurna people.
In November 2023, Warlpiri men and AIATSIS staff gathered at the SA Museum to welcome a collection of sacred objects from the United States. This included 60-year-old photos, drawings and men’s sacred ceremonial objects from Yuendumu in the Northern Territory.
