A Russian foundation launches an initiative to return the skulls of Papuans to their homeland in Guinea

A Russian foundation concerned with the preservation of ethno-cultural heritage has launched an initiative to return the skulls of Papuans that were transported to Australia by Russian anthropologist Miklouho-Maclay from their original homeland of Guinea.

The grandson of the Russian scientist Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay, head of the foundation and director of the Center for Studies of the South Pacific Region of the Orientalist Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences, confirmed that his grandfather Miklouho-Maclay (1846 - 1888) transferred a group of skulls of Papuans who inhabited the northeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, in 1877. He said: “During one of his exploratory trips, my grandfather arrived at the Maclay Coast, located 470 kilometers northwest of the capital of Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby), and he lived there for several years among the local tribes, and there he studied their civilization and their way of life. After completing the study, with permission From the inhabitants of Papua, he took a group of skulls that belonged to the inhabitants of the region to later prove that the Papuans who inhabit the island, like Europeans, belong to the Homo sapiens race. Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay said that the inhabitants of the island still remember his predecessor Miklouho-Maclay warmly.

According to Nicholas, during two years of research in the warehouses of the Australian Museum and during field studies among the tribes of the Maclay coast, he was able to determine the history of most of the skulls. He said: "After a heated discussion, the sheikhs and descendants whose skulls were handed over for study decided that it was time to return them to their homeland for a decent burial, and this is what we are doing now." He added: "We are currently conducting active negotiations with the museum, but unfortunately, there are often obstacles associated with the procedures and method of delivery. In addition, some exhibits are still the subject of study by researchers, so some of them cannot be returned immediately."

The Russian scientist also said, "The skull of his predecessor, the Russian explorer Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay, is now preserved in the Petersburg Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. We can say with confidence that his skull served science enough that perhaps the time has come to put it in the ground."