Last month, the trustees announced that two Tasmanian Aboriginal cremation ash bundles, wrapped in animal skin, will be returned to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre. The bundles were collected in 1838 by George Augustus Robinson, before they were dispersed by the Aborigines in the landscape.
British Museum trustee Helena Kennedy said the decision 'was more complicated than expected' because they are 'the only two such bundles known anywhere in the world', but that ultimately the trustees agreed unanimously that the claim of the Tasmanian Aborigines outweighed the responsibility of the museum to the wider society.
Since the 1963 British Museum Act, the trustees have always argued they are prevented by an Act of Parliament from disposing of any of the collection in this way. But the introduction of the Human Tissues Act in 2005 now allows museums to deaccession human remains. Last year, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport also produced a new code of practice on human remains, which was endorsed by all the national museums.
The British Museum is the first to act in the light of the new guidelines. Andrew Burnett, the deputy director of the British Museum, said that the whole process took six months.
'There was an obvious case of the spiritual significance of the remains to the Aborigines, and the difficult question was between that and their significance and benefit to the wider public. Although in general our presumption is towards retention, in this case, the trustees made the decision to return.' He added that the museum is now considering a claim for the return of Native American Indian remains.
Maurice Davies, the deputy director of the Museums Association and a member of the department for culture's working group on human remains, called the British Museum decision 'exceptionally significant'.
'This will be the first time in a generation that the British Museum, which is a museum that for many people embodies all the traditions and values that the word suggests, has transferred ownership to another group.'
The impact on other British museums is not yet clear. The Natural History Museum, which has the largest collection of human remains in the UK, told Museums Journal that it is also considering a number of claims for the return of human remains in the collection.
Jane Morris
British Museum trustee Helena Kennedy said the decision 'was more complicated than expected' because they are 'the only two such bundles known anywhere in the world', but that ultimately the trustees agreed unanimously that the claim of the Tasmanian Aborigines outweighed the responsibility of the museum to the wider society.
Since the 1963 British Museum Act, the trustees have always argued they are prevented by an Act of Parliament from disposing of any of the collection in this way. But the introduction of the Human Tissues Act in 2005 now allows museums to deaccession human remains. Last year, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport also produced a new code of practice on human remains, which was endorsed by all the national museums.
The British Museum is the first to act in the light of the new guidelines. Andrew Burnett, the deputy director of the British Museum, said that the whole process took six months.
'There was an obvious case of the spiritual significance of the remains to the Aborigines, and the difficult question was between that and their significance and benefit to the wider public. Although in general our presumption is towards retention, in this case, the trustees made the decision to return.' He added that the museum is now considering a claim for the return of Native American Indian remains.
Maurice Davies, the deputy director of the Museums Association and a member of the department for culture's working group on human remains, called the British Museum decision 'exceptionally significant'.
'This will be the first time in a generation that the British Museum, which is a museum that for many people embodies all the traditions and values that the word suggests, has transferred ownership to another group.'
The impact on other British museums is not yet clear. The Natural History Museum, which has the largest collection of human remains in the UK, told Museums Journal that it is also considering a number of claims for the return of human remains in the collection.
Jane Morris
