The human remains have been kept in the collection of the Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch Oldenburg since 1881. With the repatriation, the museum acknowledges the injustice committed in the past and fulfils its historical responsibility.
A first official return request of the Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme in New Zealand, administered by the Museum of New Zealand | Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa) in Wellington, reached the museum as early as 2024.
This was followed by close cooperation between the Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch Oldenburg and Te Herekiekie Herewini to enable the repatriation of the ancestor.
In October 2025, Te Herekiekie Herewini visited the ancestor in Oldenburg and the scientific exchange between Oldenburg and Wellington was intensified.
