Six Indigenous Australian artifacts from the Tūhura Otago Museum collection are homeward-bound after a repatriation ceremony was held at the museum this morning.
A boomerang, stone knives and an adze were returned to representatives of the Warumungu people in a ceremony led by mana whenua.
Warumungu representative Jimmy Frank Jupurrula said he was happy to see the artifacts sent back home.
The items were taken in the late 19th or early 20th century from the Northern Territory Tennant Creek region, where they were the traditional custodians.
"I feel a little bit touched to see the people from this country that looked after our artifacts . . . handing them over," he said.
They had been "embraced" by Māori, with whom they shared similarities as people impacted by colonisation.
A shield and boomerang he had made himself and gifted during the ceremony represented this.
"The artifacts are symbols [of] a very fighting people, a very strong people."
It was also a promise of the bond between two first nation people, he said.
Tūhura Otago Museum director of collections and research Robert Morris said it was the first repatriation of Australian aboriginal items from New Zealand, along with items returned by Auckland Museum earlier this week.
It was an important step in the decolonisation process for museums, he said.
In the past there had been a lack of understanding of the spiritual and ancestral significance of the objects taken.
Through the guidance of Ngāi Tahu and its Māori advisory committee, the museum was moving into a different phase, he said.
"We’re recognising the significance of these collection items and ensuring that they’re returned to their countries of origin."
He hoped this could also lead to the return of more Māori artifacts to New Zealand in future.
Australian Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney said the return marked a significant moment for the Warumungu people.
