Historic Repatriation of Colonial-Era Human Remains
France has officially returned three human skulls to Madagascar, 128 years after they were taken as war trophies during the colonial period. One of the skulls is believed to belong to King Toera, the last ruler of the Menabe kingdom, who was killed and beheaded by French troops in 1897.
Colonial Violence and Cultural Theft
In the late 19th century, France sent military forces to western Madagascar to gain control over the Menabe kingdom. The French troops committed widespread atrocities, including the massacre of local populations. King Toera was murdered, and his head, along with other human remains, was taken to France as war booty.
The skulls remained stored for decades at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris until their official return ceremony on Tuesday. The three skulls belonged to members of the Sakalava ethnic group, whose descendants have long sought their repatriation.
Symbolic Gesture of Reconciliation
French Culture Minister Rachida Dati described the return as "historic," stating that the skulls "entered the national collections under circumstances that clearly violated human dignity and in a context of colonial violence." Her Madagascan counterpart, Volamiranty Donna Mara, called the return "an important moment for the Sakalava community and the entire people," noting that the absence of these remains had created "an open wound in the heart of our island for more than a century."
Broader Context of Colonial Reparations
Madagascar was a French colony from 1897 until gaining independence in 1960. During a visit to the island in April, French President Emmanuel Macron called for forgiveness for the "bloody and tragic" colonization of Madagascar.
This repatriation marks the first application of a 2023 law designed to accelerate the return of human remains from French collections. The National Museum of Natural History in Paris still holds an estimated 20,000 human remains from around the world, many acquired during the colonial era.
France has previously returned human remains from colonial times, most notably in 2002 when it returned body parts of South African Saartjie Baartman, who had been exhibited as a human attraction in Europe for centuries due to her physical appearance.