Coe Gallery was honoured to attend Manchester Museum for their return of 174 cultural heritage items to the Anindilyakwa People of Groote Eylandt, following a three-year, community-led process grounded in cultural protocols and respect. The formal handover took place on 5 September 2023 at the museum, after close collaboration with the Anindilyakwa Land Council and AIATSIS, including museum staff travelling to Groote Eylandt at the community’s invitation. The museum emphasised an unconditional approach aligned with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, recognising that returning belongings supports cultural strengthening and revitalisation, seen in the revived practices around Dadikwakwa-kwa (shell dolls) and ongoing partnerships, including a planned display of contemporary Anindilyakwa works. This return builds on Manchester Museum’s wider history of repatriation, such as the 2019 handover of 43 sacred and ceremonial items to Aranda, Gangalidda and Garawa, Nyamal, and Yawuru communities.

Pictured:

Noeleen Danjibana Lalara holding shells from the Dadikwakwa-kwa. © Anindilyakwa Arts, Anindilyakwa Land Council, 2023.