The ceremony marked the return of ancestors to four communities in Queensland:
- One ancestor to the Woppaburra Community
- One ancestor to the Warrgamay Community
- Two ancestors to the Wuthathi Community
- Two ancestors to the Yadhighana Community
The remaining 30 ancestors, with provenance to Queensland, are being returned under Australian government stewardship so they can be cared for closer to home, until such time as their Traditional Custodians can be identified.
The Australian government made a request for return of all ancestral remains from Australia, all of which have been agreed by the Trustees of the Natural History Museum.
The Australian government identified an order of priority for considering these returns state by state.
Keron Murray, a Wuthathi man representing his community at the ceremony, said it was a vital step in healing the wounds of the past and restoring the spiritual and cultural balance that was disrupted.
This is the fourth return of ancestors from the Natural History Museum to Australia with over 220 ancestors agreed for return to Tasmania, South Australia and the Torres Strait Islands..
