Rite of passage for remains
9/7/08
A Scottish university has returned the last of its Aboriginal remains to Australia, more than 100 years after it acquired them. Four members of the Ngarrindjeri people in traditional dress conducted a cleansing ritual at Edinburgh University to mark their handover, completing a decade-long process of returning remains held in the university’s collection to Aboriginal peoples. The Ngarrindjeri people from South Australia burnt eucalyptus leaves outside McEwan Hall in a smoking ceremony on Monday. “We are very happy that through returning these remains we are able to build a new relationship with the indigenous people of Australia,” said John Scally, the University of Edinburgh’s director of collections in a statement on the university’s website.
See: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rite-of-passage-for-remains/2008/07/08/1215282835424.html
Tags: Aboriginal, Australia, Human Rights