US EditionThe Netherlands is returning a fossil collection taken from Indonesia in the colonial era
The fossils were taken without legal ownership during colonial times and are of spiritual and scientific importance, marking a key restitution effort after over 130 years, officials said.
- On Friday, the Netherlands announced it will repatriate more than twenty-eight thousand fossils from the renowned Dubois Collection back to Indonesia, ending Dutch custody that lasted for over a hundred years.
- In 2022, Indonesia officially sought the fossils’ repatriation following a three-year review conducted by the committee responsible for colonial-era collection restitution.
- Dutch scientist Eugène Dubois uncovered key fossils in the late 1800s, including a partial skull, a tooth, and a thigh bone, belonging to Homo erectus, commonly referred to as Java Man.
- The commission ruled the fossils were taken by force, never legally belonged to the Netherlands, and are of spiritual and economic importance to local communities.
- The return aims to heal historical wounds while continuing scientific research with Indonesian partners, with the collection expected to be displayed at Jakarta’s National Museum.
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25 Articles
Indonesia will soon receive thousands of fossils currently housed in the Naturalis Museum. It's a historic moment for his country, says the...
Decision represents a greater archaeological restoration of the history of the Netherlands in the context of the review of the colonial past. Collection includes fragments of skull, a molar and a female of the "Man of Java".
The Netherlands returns 'Java Man,' thousands of colonial-era fossils taken from Indonesia
The Dutch government has agreed to return thousands of fossils to Indonesia from a world-renowned collection, after a commission ruled they were removed in the colonial era "against the will of the people," the education ministry announced on Friday.
Today it was announced that the Netherlands will return the Dubois skullcap, along with 28,000 other fossils. Historians in Indonesia are questioning how the country will store them.
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