The head of a Malagasy king, King Toera, who was killed by French troops during a colonial-era conflict, has been formally returned to Madagascar. The handover of King Toera's skull - along with those of two other officials - took place during a ceremony at the culture ministry in Paris. The skulls had been transferred to France in the late 1800s and had been stored at the Museum of Natural History in Paris.
This marks the first execution of a recent law designed to facilitate the return of human remains from French collections. In 1897, a French military force asserting colonial authority over Madagascar brutally suppressed local resistance, resulting in King Toera's death along with the desecration of his body.
Pressure for the return of the skull, bolstered by the demands of the king’s descendants and the Madagascar government, has led to this momentous event. Although this is not the first instance of repatriating remains, it highlights France's shifting stance on historical injustices, with an estimated 20,000 human remains still held in French museums under dubious circumstances.
This marks the first execution of a recent law designed to facilitate the return of human remains from French collections. In 1897, a French military force asserting colonial authority over Madagascar brutally suppressed local resistance, resulting in King Toera's death along with the desecration of his body.
Pressure for the return of the skull, bolstered by the demands of the king’s descendants and the Madagascar government, has led to this momentous event. Although this is not the first instance of repatriating remains, it highlights France's shifting stance on historical injustices, with an estimated 20,000 human remains still held in French museums under dubious circumstances.
