Aboriginal spears taken by Captain Cook in 1770 are returned to Australia's Indigenous people
LONDON (AP) — Four Aboriginal spears that were taken to England by Captain James Cook more than 250 years ago were returned Tuesday to Australia’s Indigenous community at a ceremony in Cambridge University.
The artifacts were all that remain of some 40 spears that Cook and botanist Joseph Banks took in April 1770, at the time of the first contact between Cook’s crew and the Indigenous people of Kamay, or Botany Bay.
The spears were presented to Trinity College, Cambridge by John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich the following year, along with other items from Cook’s voyage across the Pacific. The spears have been held at the university’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology since the early 20th century.
Their return, agreed last year following a campaign and a formal repatriation request, was hailed as a step toward reconciliation and a greater understanding of Britain and Australia’s shared history.
Related articles
Dead whale in New Jersey had a fractured skull among numerous injuries, experts find
LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — A post-mortem examination of a whale that washed ashore on New Jers2024-04-24Dozens of desperate patients queue 'around the block' before 8am for GP appointment
Desperate Brits have queued 'around the block' outside a GP surgery in the hope of getting an appoin2024-04-24Children addicted to tech including smartphones are more at risk of psychosis, study suggests
Children addicted to smartphones, iPads and video games are more likely to suffer psychotic episodes2024-04-24- Photo: ShipSpotting.com2024-04-24
O.J. Simpson still reflects America's racial divides— even in death
For many people old enough to remember O.J. Simpson’s murder trial, his 1995 exoneration was a defin2024-04-24Sydney Police searching for an officer over disappearance of two men
Luke Davies, left, and Jesse Baird. Photo: Supplied/Instagram2024-04-24
atest comment