Australian Museum Repatriates Rapa Nui Ancestral Remains to Easter Island

The Australian Museum in Sydney returned the remains of Rapa Nui ancestors to Easter Island, which included 17 skulls and strands of human hair taken during a German naval expedition led by Captain Wilhelm Geiseler in 1882. The museum acquired these items in 1883. During a ceremony on 15 July, Carlos Edmunds Paoa remarked, "Each bone will go back to its original place." Museum director Laura McBride recognized the colonial history, while Kim McKay expressed regret over the acquisition. The remains reached Santiago on 17 July, where Chilean undersecretary Emilio De la Cerda presided over a ceremony before they were transported to Rapa Nui. This event follows previous repatriations in 1986, 2006, and the planned return by the Kon-Tiki Museum in 2024. The moai Hoa Hakananai'a remains with the British Museum.