Museums and repatriations: returning ancestors

Hear and participate in conversations examining contemporary issues of repatriation of Ancestral remains for communities and museums. The consequences of colonisation in the Australian-Pacific region include the appropriation of human remains from Aboriginal, Torres Strait and Pacific Islanders. As more museums consider what ‘decolonising’ could mean, the confronting history of Ancestors kept within museums for over one hundred years is leading to more work with descendant communities to seek culturally safe ways for return. Join us to hear from Dr Leah Lui Chivizhe and Melissa Malu as they consider the contemporary issues of repatriation of Ancestral remains for communities and museums. Program ‘Why Ancestors can’t stay in Museums’ Leah Lui-Chivizhe, Scientia Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities & Languages Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture, UNSW ‘Engaging with care, the returning of Ancestral remains’ Melissa Malu, Head of Pasifika Collections & Engagement | Pasifika Collections & Engagement, Australian Museum Our speakers Leah Lui Chivizhe is a cultural historian of the Torres Strait Islands and Scientia Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Languages, University of New South Wales. Her current research focuses on how to work with nineteenth century museum collections from the Torres Strait in ways that strengthen Islander connections to our pre-colonial histories of human and more-than-human relations and contribute to decolonial praxis in collector institutions. Leah is author of Masked Histories: Turtle shell masks and Torres Strait Islander people (MUP 2022), highly commended for Australian History in the 2023 NSW Premier’s History Awards. Melissa Malu is Head of Pasifika Collections and Engagement at the Australian Museum where she brings her Tongan and Fijian heritage to her transformative work in cultural preservation and community development. Melissa is dedicated to integrating traditional Indigenous knowledge into contemporary frameworks, ensuring these valuable perspectives gain rightful recognition in mainstream institutions. Through her work, Melissa continues to amplify Pasifika voices, strengthen cultural heritage, and drive positive change across local and international networks. Melissa was lead curator for the Australian Museum’s Wansolmoana Gallery.