It's hoped more indigenous artefacts will be returned to Hawaii after century old human remains were repatriated in October.
The remains had been stolen from burial caves between 1896 and 1902 and sold to the Museum of Ethnology in Dresden, Germany.
The chief executive of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kamana'opono Crabbe, says the repatriation followed 25 years of talks and was the first time the museum had returned indigenous artefacts.
Mr Crabbe told Sara Vui-Talitu the return of three iwi po'o, or skulls, and an alalo, or jawbone, has given hope to other native groups.
Iwi kūpuna returning home from Germany after more than a century
Photo: Mo.Zaboli / Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Transcript
KAMANA'OPONO CRABBE: Started back in the 1980s with one of our kupuna, Haliana, who helped craft the national policy of reptriation of iwi kupuna. And it just so happened that there was a lot of documentation that went back and forth between the museum in Dresden Germany and the powers that be and our kupuna were looking over us, that the Dresden government had finally seen the file and then the Culture Minister was able to give her approval, and then everything fell into place after that for the museum to offically authorise the return of the iwi po'o, well actually three iwi po'o, and a jawbone.
SARA VUI-TALITU: There must have been much mana for Germany to return the iwi kupuna... what was that like for you?
KC: A very moving experience because of the acknowledgement by the Dresden government and museum who gave meaning towards us in their acknowledgement of the transgressions and as a result of the disposition of these po'o that left its homeland back in the early 1900s and they are only now in 2017 they are being returned home. It was warm and a really genuine reconciliation and a formal letter signing ceremony and I think for those who were present, which was myself and three others from our community, it was very gratifying and you know a relief because after 20 something years or so, we are able to bring them home and then have them repatriated in our own homeland.
SV: What about other indigenous artefacts - does this set a precedent for them?
KC: The significance about this Sara is that we are aware not only of Native Hawaiian kupuna but we are aware of Maori and other Pacific Islanders and other native peoples whose iwi kupuna are housed in these institutions. So the bravery and the courage of this museum and the state of the government took a bold step towards in a way healing for themselves but also it created a domino I guess momentum or effect where now other institutions in the country of Germany are now considering repatriation as well as right throughout Europe. And right after ours, I believe that they were committed to returning some Maori iwi kupuna back to Aotearoa.
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