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List of Repatriations from Scottish Museums
Repatriation and restitution returns from Scottish museum have been happening over a number of decades. In a museum context, restitution is about the return of ancestral remains or cultural objects held in museum collections, to communities or individuals. Repatriation (or rematriation) involves the return of ancestral remains or cultural objects to nations or states.
This page lists known returns of both cultural and sacred objects and ancestral remains from Scottish Museums dating back to 1990. It also lists requests for returns that have been rejected. The list is updated regularly.
Introduction to restitution and repatriation work in Scotland
Find out about restitution and repatriation in collection management, and additional guidance on the issue.
Return of the Galliwasp
Staff at The Hunterian share their experience of returning a specimen of the extinct Jamaican giant galliwasp back home to Jamaica. They highlight how the repatriation of the specimen was achieved through collaboration with curators and academics in Jamaica, and explain the challenges and outcomes of the process.
The Rematriation of the House of Ni’isjoohl Memorial Pole
The House of Ni’isjoohl Memorial Pole, stolen from the Nisga’a Nation in the 1920s, was rematriated from National Museums Scotland (NMS) in 2023. Noxs Ts’aawit (Dr. Amy Parent) of The Nisga’a Nation and Dr. John Giblin from NMS outline the process of international cooperation to rematriate the Memorial Pole to its ancestral home.