BERLIN (AP) \u2014 Five sets of ancestral remains from Australia that had been in German museum collections since the 19th century were handed back at a ceremony Thursday that a community representative described as a sad but \u201cvery joyful\u201d moment. The restitution is part of ongoing efforts by German museums and authorities to return human remains and cultural artifacts that were taken during colonial times. In this case, three sets of remains that had been in Berlin since 1880 were handed over along with two other sets of remains held in the northwestern German city of Oldenburg. They were received by four representatives of the Ugar Island community, part of the Torres Strait Islands off the northeastern tip of Australia. \u201cThese ancestral remains were never meant to be here,\u201d said… <\/p>\n
BERLIN (AP) \u2014 Five sets of ancestral remains from Australia that had been in German museum collections since the 19th century were handed back at a ceremony Thursday that a community representative described as a sad but \u201cvery joyful\u201d moment. The restitution is part of ongoing efforts by German museums and authorities to return human remains and cultural artifacts that were taken during colonial times. In this case, three sets of remains that had been in Berlin since 1880 were handed over along with two other sets of remains held in the northwestern German city of Oldenburg. They were received by four representatives of the Ugar Island community, part of the Torres Strait Islands off the northeastern tip of Australia. \u201cThese ancestral remains were never meant to be here,\u201d said... <\/p>\n