ABSTRACT
Repatriating ancestral remains to descendant communities can be a powerful and transformative process that reunites the dead with the living. With poorly provenanced ancestral remains – those whose specific origin is unknown – the process of provenancing is often just the start of the reconciliatory process. When this process is enacted in an ethical and respectful manner, Aboriginal cultural and spiritual knowledge systems are reaffirmed. In an Australian context, the return of ancestral remains to their original place of interment, to Country, is very important. Place reconnection generally holds more significance than genetic linkage. For this reason, some contemporary provenancing processes, for instance DNA testing, may not always be appropriate. The importance of incorporating Traditional Knowledge in conjunction with scientific techniques or on its own is captured in a provenancing case study at The Queensland Museum, Australia, where the foundational framework for repatriation is based on Traditional Knowledge. In particular, this chapter highlights the need to critically acknowledge and accept the value of Traditional Knowledge working alongside scientific techniques to provenance Aboriginal ancestral remains with poor provenance back to Country in a manner that is ethically and culturally appropriate for Aboriginal communities.
