Edinburgh University returns indigenous skulls to Japan
Summary
Three skulls from Japan were returned to their original indigenous community by Edinburgh University 108 years after they were given to the institution. The skulls, remains of the Ainu people, were collected by Scottish anthropologist Dr. Neil Gordon and will now be interred at a museum and memorial site in Hokkaido, Japan.Key Facts
- In 1913, Edinburgh University received three Ainu skulls from Scottish anthropologist Dr. Neil Gordon.
- Dr. Gordon collected many artifacts, including human remains, from the Ainu community while living and studying among them in Hokkaido, Japan.
- The Ainu are an indigenous community from Japan. They had their own traditions, even under Japanese imperial rule.
- The Ainu language is currently considered "critically endangered" by UNESCO.
- A traditional Ainu ceremony was held at Edinburgh University to repatriate the skulls back to Japan.
- The skulls will be interred at a museum and memorial site in Hokkaido.
- This is not the first time Edinburgh University has returned indigenous remains; in 2023, it returned the skulls of four Mudan warriors to Taiwan.
- Masaru Okawa, executive director of the Hokkaido Ainu Association, expressed his community's commitment to honor their ancestors following their traditions.
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