Tears greet return of Larrakia remains

Larrakia women dance in front of the cartons holding the remains

The day was bright but the mood was sombre as the Larrakia people finally brought the remains of their 87 long-lost countrymen back from exile to the tropical land of their birth.

In a small but moving ceremony held in the early afternoon of 12 August at the southern end of Darwin's Mindil Beach, a part of Larrakia country traditionally associated with burials, about 120 people gathered to watch Larrakia men and women dance the remains back home.

Under the shade of a flame tree Larrakia man Eric Fejo, who had accompanied the remains by plane all the way from Canberra, said that while he was happy to have the old people back after so long,

Larrakia man Eric Fejo

The push for the return of the stolen Larrakia remains began in earnest in 1993. It is the largest group of Aboriginal remains yet to be returned by the National Museum of Australia's Repatriation Unit, which is the only institution in Australia able to receive Indigenous remains from overseas.

All the repatriated remains came from the former Institute of Anatomy in Canberra and Edinburgh University in Scotland.

A smoking ceremony to cleanse the remains was held outside the National Museum before they were flown back to Darwin.

The remains will be stored by the Aboriginal Area Protection Authority at a secret location while Larrakia elders decide on their final resting place.

It is thought the remains of another 6,400 Australian Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders remain in the hands of museums around the world as well as in Australian institutions.

While there will be no rest for Aboriginal people around Australia until all the remains are returned to their home country, Larrakia elder Victor Williams said the repatriation of the Larrakia was

a very important step towards reconciliation which should not be forgotten.

Larrakia elder Victor Williams