Cambridge University returns snatched Aboriginal spears
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STORY: Four spears taken from an Aboriginal community by a British explorer over 250 years ago were returned on Tuesday (April 23).
The University of Cambridge handed them over in a ceremony to descendants of the indigenous community in Australia which crafted them.
It marks the latest high-profile repatriation of artefacts.
The four spears are all that remain of the roughly 40 which James Cook and his team took from the Gweagal people on their arrival in Australia in 1770.
They became the first known Europeans to reach the country's east coast.
The Gweagal people's multi-pronged wooden spears were given to the university’s Trinity College in 1771.
David Johnson is a member of the Gweagal people:
"Instead of conflict, we have a partnership and instead of a misunderstanding, we have a shared vision. Today, we have an opportunity to celebrate these spears and what they represent for us, Australia and the whole world."
The return comes seven years after an initial request was refused, partly over concerns about housing and conserving the spears.
Indigenous people around the globe have battled for years to recover works pillaged by explorers and colonizers.
In recent years some have finally received treasures back, including Nigeria receiving the Benin Bronzes, as Western institutions grapple with the cultural legacies of empire.
