The head of a Malagasy king killed by French troops during a colonial-era war has been formally returned to Madagascar. The handover of King Toera's skull - and those of two other members of his court - took place at a ceremony at the culture ministry in Paris.
The skulls had been brought to France at the end of the 19th Century and stored at the Museum of Natural History in the French capital. This is the first use of a new law meant to expedite the return of human remains from collections in France.
These skulls entered the national collections in circumstances that clearly violated human dignity and in a context of colonial violence, French Culture Minister Rachida Dati is quoted as saying.
In August 1897, a French force sent to assert colonial control over the Menabé kingdom of the Sakalava people killed King Toera and decapitated him. Nearly 130 years later, pressure from the king's descendants has opened the way for the skull's return.
While there is no DNA proof that the skull belongs to King Toera, the identification was affirmed by a traditional Sakalava spirit medium. Madagascar's Culture Minister Volamiranty Donna Mara stated that the return of the skulls is a significant gesture, marking a closure to over a century of absence that has left an open wound in the heart of Madagascar.
This instance is not unique; France has previously returned remains from the colonial era, including the infamous Hottentot Venus whose body was repatriated in 2012. However, this is the first return made under a recent legislation that simplifies the repatriation of such remains. It is estimated that over 20,000 human remains are still held in French collections, a stark reminder of colonial practices.
The skulls had been brought to France at the end of the 19th Century and stored at the Museum of Natural History in the French capital. This is the first use of a new law meant to expedite the return of human remains from collections in France.
These skulls entered the national collections in circumstances that clearly violated human dignity and in a context of colonial violence, French Culture Minister Rachida Dati is quoted as saying.
In August 1897, a French force sent to assert colonial control over the Menabé kingdom of the Sakalava people killed King Toera and decapitated him. Nearly 130 years later, pressure from the king's descendants has opened the way for the skull's return.
While there is no DNA proof that the skull belongs to King Toera, the identification was affirmed by a traditional Sakalava spirit medium. Madagascar's Culture Minister Volamiranty Donna Mara stated that the return of the skulls is a significant gesture, marking a closure to over a century of absence that has left an open wound in the heart of Madagascar.
This instance is not unique; France has previously returned remains from the colonial era, including the infamous Hottentot Venus whose body was repatriated in 2012. However, this is the first return made under a recent legislation that simplifies the repatriation of such remains. It is estimated that over 20,000 human remains are still held in French collections, a stark reminder of colonial practices.
