As we move through NAIDOC week, it is important to recognise that the South Australian Museum has possession of around 3,700 South Australian Indigenous ancestoral remains and 4,000 restricted (secret, sacred) objects, which have been removed from country, documented, stored, sampled, researched and are now slowly being returned to the descendants of those ancestors.
The return of stolen ancestors and objects is an important process. It is critical that the decendants of these ancestors are resourced adequately, to ensure that the return to and restoration on country is done in a culturally appropriate and inclusive, not tokenistic fashion.
The Warlpiri Project is a step toward this.
This NAIDOC Week we are shining the light on the incredible work of the Warlpiri Project, a Warlpiri-led project working to help repatriate ancestors and cultural heritage projects.
Late last year the Warlpiri community gathered near Pikilyi (Vaughn Springs Station), west of Yuendumu to rebury a Warlpiri ancestor whose original resting place was disturbed by station-owners over 60 years ago. The Warlpiri ancestor, thought to be a senior lawman, was originally buried in a traditional Warlpiri tree burial, known as Kantirirri, in a bloodwood tree prior to the establishment of Vaughan Springs Station. This was the first time a Warlpiri ancestor had been returned to country.
Hear more about the Warlpiri Project and the Pikilyi reburial: https://lnkd.in/gtvbmQbw
