Sixteen sets of remains of Aboriginal ancestors from the Hunter Valley region have been successfully repatriated and reburied on their ancestral lands.
The remains had been held at the University of Sydney and the Australian Museum.
Spokesperson for the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH), John Duggan said that over the past six months, OEH had been working with three Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) in the Hunter Valley to re-bury the ancestors in four relevant locations – Broughton Island, Dark Point, Fingal Bay and Singleton.
Wanarauh LALC undertook the final burial in mid-April, when nine sets of remains were interred in Wanaruah Park, Singleton.
Over 100 people came to pay their respects during the reburial.
Mr Duggan said the first lot of ancestors were returned to Broughton Island in August 2018.
“Since then we have been working with Local Aboriginal Land Councils, National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), local councils and museums to secure the release of all the Hunter Valley ancestors,” he said.
One set of remains came from the Tea Gardens Police Station.
The Aboriginal community and OEH took custody of the ancestors from the institutions and stored the remains for a short time before the reburials took place,” Mr Duggan said.
He said smoking ceremonies were performed for the burials, and all ancestors were wrapped and tied in paperbark bundles before reburial.
He said NPWS provided support for the burials at the Broughton Island, Fingal Bay and Dark Point locations. Singleton Council also contributed to the burials in Wanaruah Park, Singleton.
LALC representatives and community members described the ceremonies as overwhelming and exhilarating, while others said it was a very sombre feeling.
Mr Duggan said the ancestors were now at peace, resting in their traditional lands.
