An Indigenous Australian senator’s bold accusations of genocide towards King Charles during a passionate outburst in parliament have sparked fresh discussions around the return of colonial artefacts currently held in Britain. Lidia Thorpe caused a stir by disrupting Charles’s visit to Canberra, demanding the return of “stolen items” and emphasising the importance of ancestral remains and cultural artefacts to the Indigenous Australian community.
Her impassioned speech overshadowed Charles’s acknowledgement of the debt owed to Australia’s original inhabitants. Particularly contentious was Thorpe’s mention of “bones and skulls,” shedding light on the pressing issue of repatriation of Indigenous Australian artefacts held in British museums. A recent joint study by the British Museum and the Australian Research Council revealed that there are at least 39,000 such items spread across various museums in the UK and Ireland.
During Australia’s colonial period, Britain has faced severe allegations including murder, rape, and the propagation of diseases among the Indigenous population. Moreover, the collecting and studying of Indigenous Australian ancestral remains for “race research” and to support Darwinian theories of evolutionary inferiority have been widely condemned. The Indigenous Australian population dwindled by an estimated 90% following English occupation, from around 750,000 to a significantly lower number.
Several museums, including the Natural History Museum in London, have housed human remains and skulls obtained during the colonial era. Efforts towards repatriation have been made with institutions like the Pitt Rivers Museum and Oxford University Museum of Natural History returning Aboriginal ancestors’ remains to Australia. In recent years, the Natural History Museum and Manchester Museum have also repatriated 174 items, including personal adornments and baskets, to the Aboriginal Anindilyakwa community in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Over 1,000 ancestors have already been returned from the UK to Australia, as reported by the National Indigenous Times. Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Stephen Francis, emphasised the ongoing commitment to repatriating artefacts and the importance of respecting Indigenous communities. Despite progress made in recent years, calls for further repatriation and acknowledgment of historical injustices persist.
The Independent has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment on the matter and awaits a response. The debate surrounding the return of Indigenous Australian artefacts held in Britain continues to gain momentum, as the need for acknowledgment, restitution, and cultural sensitivity remains at the forefront of discussions on colonial legacies and reconciliation in the modern age.