British Museum decides to return two Tasmanian cremation ash
bundles
The passing of the Human Tissue Act in 2005 enabled the Trustees
of the British Museum and other national museums to transfer human
remains out of their collections.
The Museum's Trustees had long recognised that human remains
from the modern period represent a special case raising
particularly difficult issues. The Museum was therefore fully and
positively engaged with the process which led to the drafting of
the relevant clause of the new law.
The Trustees have welcomed this new power which has enabled them
for the first time to give serious consideration to a claim made
for two cremation ash bundles. The claim is made by the Tasmanian
Aboriginal Centre: the TAC has made several previous claims which
could not be considered until the law was changed in 2005. The
Trustees are therefore pleased to announce that, at their meeting
today, they have decided to transfer the two Tasmanian Aboriginal
cremation ash bundles to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre in
response to the claim from the Centre made last year.
The two bundles, each containing some ash from a human cremation
site, are wrapped in animal skin. They were acquired by George
Augustus Robinson in about 1838 (Robinson was appointed as
conciliator of Aborigines in Tasmania in 1828). They were taken at
a time when the Aboriginal population of Tasmania was suffering
greatly from the impact of the European settlement, resulting in
substantial population loss. The bundles entered the collection of
the British Museum only later via the Royal College of Surgeons in
1882.
Ethnographic evidence collected by Robinson at the time
indicates that bundles of this sort were used as amulets against
sickness by their owners, and that they were highly valued for
their efficacy. Their acquisition by Robinson represented an
interruption in the process which would have ultimately led to the
remains being laid to rest.
After taking independent expert advice on the matter, and
according to their published policy, the Trustees came to the view
that the cultural and religious importance of the cremation ash
bundles to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community outweighed any other
public benefit that would have flowed from their retention in the
collection. The objects have been studied, photographed and
published in previous decades. It is unlikely that, given present
scientific techniques, their retention in London for study will
yield any further information of significance.
Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, leading human rights lawyer and the
Trustee who led the discussion, said, "The Trustees are clear that
the removal of the cremation ash bundles from the collection is the
right course of action. The Museum looks forward to continuing to
work with indigenous Australian communities in furthering the
worldwide public understanding of Australian aboriginal culture,
both past and present. The British Museum is currently developing a
new Australian and Pacific Gallery to open in 2008."
Notes to Editors
- The British Museum has only a small number
of Aboriginal human remains in its collection. We estimate that
there are only a further three possible Australian claims which may
result from the change in legislation. If submitted each claim
would be examined on an individual basis by the Museum's
Trustees.
- Information on the Museum's
policy on human remains and a complete list of human remains in our
collection (including details of material which sits outside of
current legislation)
- The new legislation specifically refers to
human remains and does not have any bearing on the issue of the
Parthenon Sculptures. The Trustees have made their decision based
on the evidence presented in this special case. The issue of the
restitution of recent human remains is very different to that of
sculpture or other man-made objects. The Museum's position on the
Sculptures remains the same, that they are integral to the British
Museum 's purpose as a world museum and allow us to tell the story
of human cultural achievement to the widest possible
audience.
For further information please contact
Hannah Boulton on 020 7323 8522 or hboulton@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
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