Ashes to ashes

The Natural History Museum in London is to return the remains of 8 aboriginal people to the Australian government. The remains include the skull of an aboriginal person thought to have been illegally exported to Britain in 93. The rest comprise the remains of 7 indigenous individuals from Tasmania and will be returned after a three-month period of study by scientists. Museum director Michael Dixon said the move was " a common sense one " but accepted there would be objections. " We are a science-based organisation but we do not believe that the scientific value should trump all other claims, nor do we believe that the ethical, religious, and spiritual claims should necessarily trump the scientific value, " he said. Australian aborigines have long campaigned for the repatriation of human remains held in British museums and universities. Many regard such collections as an affront to their customs and spiritual way of life. The Tasmanian materials were largely collected in the 9th century by George Augustus Robinson. After his death, the remains were passed into the possession of other individuals and eventually deposited in UK institutions, and then gradually brought under the keeping of the Natural History Museum. They will now be given, through the Australian government, to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, which has been in dispute over News focus This spring sees the return of aboriginal bones from the Natural History Museum in London to Tasmania, sparking concerns from researchers. Nigel Williams reports. Ashes to ashes the matter for more than 20 years. Despite their sometimes dubious original acquisition, the materials are of great interest to modern-day scientists for what they can reveal about human variation and evolution. It is expected that on return, the specimens are likely to be cremated. " These were collected at a time when the aboriginal population of Tasmania had not had substantial contact with Europeans, and therefore the value of these remains scientifically is that they give us a point in time for the development of aboriginal populations, " said Richard Lane, the NHM director of science. " We know from these and other materials that the populations of aborigines on Tasmania are actually really quite different to mainland Australia. " Custodian: The Natural History Museum in London is returning human remains to their place of origin.