Torres Strait islanders reclaim their ancestral bones

Representatives of the Torres Strait islanders collected bones of their ancestors from the Natural History Museum in London.

The development is the latest step in a long campaign by the islanders to have the human remains returned to them so they can be properly buried and - in their view, allow the spirits of their ancestors to rest in peace.

But critics say that the handover of the bones will set back scientific research and has been done for the sake of political correctness.

The islanders have collected 19 skeletal remains of indigenous people that have been identified as taken from the Torres Strait Islands in the 19th Century. The islands lie roughly halfway between Papua New Guinea and the northern coast of Australia.    Read More