ABSTRACT
In 2011 the Natural History Museum (NHM) London agreed to return 138 ancestral human remains to Torres Strait Islander (TSI) Traditional Owners. The agreement was the culmination of over two years of discussions, meetings and conference calls. This chapter discusses the return from the perspective of NHM staff and TSI Traditional Owners. This was the first return after the NHM adopted a more proactive approach to repatriation. In 2009 an opportunity arose to visit the Torres Strait and, coincidentally, to sit in during a community repatriation consultation meeting. When the decision to return was made a further round of meetings and conference calls took place. As part of this engagement and discussion process the NHM agreed to sponsor a fellowship for a Torres Strait Islander which was matched by the Australian government, the period of which spanned one of the physical returns. The presence of the two fellowship holders provided invaluable information on cultural practices surrounding the dead and so brought about a greater understanding between the NHM and the TSI community. This process has enabled scientists at the NHM and members of the TSI community to see each other as fellow human beings rather than political adversaries.
