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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| British Museum Returns Aboriginal Skulls |
| 2003-07-30 |
| A British museum on Tuesday gave four Australian Aboriginal skulls collected a century ago to the communities from which they came. "Right. ’ere we ’ave the skulls: Galloway, Moore, Penn, and this nasty brute ’ere is Redgreave." A delegation of Aboriginal elders accepted the remains of their ancestors during a ceremony at the Manchester Museum in northwest England. The University of Manchester and the Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action (FAIRA), had earlier agreed the repatriation of the skulls, removed from Australia during colonial times. ``This will end the practice of scientific investigations and maintaining Aboriginal ancestors in cardboard boxes, plastic bags and vaults in museums,’’ said Bob Weatherall from FAIRA. Major Sumner, a traditional custodian from the Ngarrindjeri nation in South Australia, said: ``The torment is ended, we now put an end to the torment.’’ The elders will return the remains to their traditional homelands in the state of Victoria. Apologies and respects to the Aboriginal tribes: no way would I saddle them with idiotarians like the ones I named! |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #7 Partly -- there was a lot of migration and inter-tribal warfare in pre-Columbian America. Just because a given tribe was living in an area in historical times doesn't mean it was in that same area in pre-historical times. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-7-31 11:43:08 AM |
| #6 they might not have connection to tribes...is it because they were wiped out? |
| Posted by: Igs 2003-7-30 9:33:58 PM |
| #5 ...and gives you a helluva shot at a casino license or, at least, a tax free smoke shop. Even if you're whiter then me! |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-7-30 2:23:26 PM |
| #4 Process allows victimization to stretch back into pre-historic generations. |
| Posted by: Highlander 2003-7-30 12:03:19 PM |
| #3 Except that many of the remains being petitioned for have no connection to the tribes making the claims. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-7-30 11:30:03 AM |
| #2 Anon1, same thing is happening here in the states. The Native American tribes are pressuring museums to return bodies of their ancestors that had been "collected" from tribal burial grounds. Respect for the dead is a central part of their religion. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-7-30 10:26:24 AM |
| #1 whatta lotta baloney this goes in the category of 'secret women's business' in the Hindmarsh bridge. They wouldn't have made a big fuss if it didn't help their political/economic cause. It helps them immensely to play the 'white guilt' card. Take that away and they couldn't give two stuffs about the skulls. |
| Posted by: Anon1 2003-7-30 4:04:23 AM |