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Repatriation and Restitution
Resources to support museums on repatriation, restitution, and a list of requests for return made to Scottish museums and galleries.
Returning a Benin Bronze to its rightful place: Benin City
In 2021, the University of Aberdeen returned a looted Benin Bronze from their collection to the Oba of Benin, becoming the first UK institution to agree to an unconditional return of a Benin Bronze. Neil Curtis, from University of Aberdeen, outlines the process of giving back a pillaged object without a repatriation request being made.
List of Repatriations from Scottish Museums
Search the list of repatriation requests made to Scottish museums and galleries
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.
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.
Introduction to restitution and repatriation work in Scotland
Find out about restitution and repatriation in collection management, and additional guidance on the issue.