In 1985, Edinburgh University's Natural History Museum held Taita human skull relics that had been taken by colonial missionaries and anthropologists. The repatriation of these sacred objects represents an important chapter in the broader story of returning cultural heritage to Africa.
Historical Context
During the colonial period, anthropologists and missionaries collected human remains from across Africa, including Taita vigango (skull relics). These materials were sent to European museums, where they were often catalogued as ethnographic specimens or used in anthropological research. At that time, there was little discussion of the views of the communities from which these remains came.
The Edinburgh Collection
Edinburgh University's Natural History Museum held several Taita skulls that had been collected in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These skulls were sacred objects in Taita culture, not specimens for academic study. Their removal represented a profound violation of Taita cultural and spiritual values.
Repatriation Negotiations
By the 1980s, Taita communities and Kenyan cultural organizations began advocating for the return of sacred objects from European museums. The Edinburgh repatriation was achieved through diplomatic negotiations between Kenyan government representatives, university officials, and Taita community leaders.
The Return and Its Significance
When the skulls were repatriated to Kenya, they were received with ceremony and respect. The return acknowledged the wrongfulness of their removal and recognized Taita cultural authority over their own heritage. The repatriation also contributed to broader movements for recognition of African agency and the repatriation of cultural materials.
Ongoing Repatriations
The Edinburgh repatriation set a precedent for other institutions. Additional Taita and other East African materials have since been repatriated from various European museums to communities in Kenya and neighboring countries.
See Also
- Taita Skull Relics
- Taita Notable People
- Taita Colonial History
- Taita Identity Today
- Taita and Christianity
Sources
- Coombes, Annie E. "History After Apartheid: Visual Culture and Public Memory in South Africa". Duke University Press, 2003. https://www.dukeupress.edu/
- Simpson, Moira. "Making Representations: Museums in the Post-Colonial Era". Routledge, 1996. https://www.routledge.com/
- Spear, Thomas. "Mountain Farmers: Agro-pastoralists in the East African Highlands". University of Wisconsin Press, 1997. https://www.wisc.edu/