'Australian Aborigine Skulls in a Loft in Birmingham, It seems a Weird Thing': Repatriation work and the search for Jandamarra

Abstract

Jandamarra is a significant figure in Australian history. An individual of historical and contemporary importance to Bunuba people, the story of his life and death also holds meaning for many Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, particularly in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. As with a number of Aboriginal leaders, he was pursued and shot by the police, and his head was removed and sent overseas. Since 2002, a research project has been underway to try to locate Jandamarra�s remains. This has resulted in establishing that his skull was in a private museum in Birmingham in the 1960s. This museum was dismantled in the late 1960s, and while many of its contents have been located, Jandamarra has yet to be found. The search for his remains has been disadvantaged by a lack of paper trail but has benefited from oral history. This chapter details the research processes required to reveal part of Jandamarra�s post-mortem history and illustrates the significance and method of fine-grained historical research in the repatriation sector. The chapter also contributes to knowledge about the acquisition of Aboriginal human remains by small private museums in the UK, about which currently little is known. Show more