SYDNEY, May 2. /TASS/. Russia’s Miklouho-Maclay Foundation for the Preservation of Ethnocultural Heritage has announced that it will send the skulls brought in the mid-19th century from Papua New Guinea by Russian explorer Nikolay Miklouho-Maclay back where they came from, his relative reported.
Nikolay Miklouho-Maclay Jr. heads the foundation and center for the study of the South Pacific region at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
As the Russian scientist reported, a collection of skulls of the Papuans who inhabited the northeastern coast of the island of New Guinea was collected by his ancestor, Russian anthropologist Nikolay Miklouho-Maclay in 1877. "During one of his expeditions, he arrived on the Maclay Coast (located 470 km north-west of the capital of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby - TASS) and lived there for several years among the local tribes, studying their culture and way of life. After completing the study, with the permission of the Papuans, he took a collection of skulls that belonged to the inhabitants of the region in order to later prove that the Papuans inhabiting the island, like the Europeans, belong to the species Homo sapiens," said Miklouho-Maclay Jr., noting that "The Russian researcher is still fondly remembered in Papua New Guinea."
According to Miklouho-Maclay Jr., during two years of research in the repositories of the Australian Museum and on site, among the tribes of the Maclay Coast, he was able to restore the history of the origin of most of the skulls. "After heated discussion, the elders and descendants of those whose skulls were handed over for study decided that it was time to return them to their homeland for a proper burial. This is what we are doing now," he said. "We are currently in active negotiations with the museum, but, unfortunately, such issues are often complicated by different ideas about the procedure and method of return. In addition, some of the exhibits are still the subject of study by researchers and, for objective reasons, cannot be returned immediately," pointed out the Russian scientist.
The Australian government noted that over the past 30 years, the country's museums have returned more than 2,500 sacred objects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that were exhibited as part of exhibitions dedicated to the indigenous people of the region, but more than 1,500 pieces of human remains are still on display in 13 state museums, either as part of exhibitions or as objects for study.
Miklouho-Maclay Jr. also said that the skull of his ancestor, the Russian explorer Nikolay Miklouho-Maclay, is now kept in the Saint Petersburg Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography." "Now, after more than 130 years have passed since his death, we can say with confidence that his skull has done enough for science and that it is probably time to put it in the ground," he said.