Three Tasmanian Aboriginal ancestors were repatriated on Tuesday, after being studied at the Australian National University in Canberra.
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The remains arrived in Launceston under the watchful eye of Tasmanian Aboriginal delegates Jarrod Edwards and Thomas Riley.
The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre has campaigned for the repatriation of ancestral remains from national and international museums and other institutions for more than 40 years, in order to return the elders to their tribal lands so their spirits could be put to rest.
“Our old people are an integral part of our story and our connection to our country and they deserve the right to be laid to rest here and they should never have been moved,” Mr Edwards said.
The three ancestors had been traditionally buried but their resting place was disrupted mid-last century in an archaeological excavation.
A greeting ceremony was performed by young members of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community as the elders arrived at the Launceston Airport.
Mr Riley said the responsibility to bring the remains back to Tasmania was “the highest privilege” he had experienced in his life.
He said the ancestors walked the Earth about the same time that Tasmania’s petroglyphs, or rock art, were created.
“It’s very significant to us and now they are able to be laid to rest and it’s a strong feeling for us to know that we are not being used in that manner anymore,” he said.