BERLIN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A German museum on Tuesday handed over the remains of an indigenous chief from Australia that has been in Germany's possession since 1889, the German Press Agency (DPA) reported.
In a ceremony, the Munich's Five Continents Museum gave back the remains that had been placed in a coffin draped with indigenous flag to a descendent of his people, the Yidinji people.
The mummified corps is reported to have been stolen by researchers at a funeral ceremony in 1876 and then shipped to Germany and held there ever sine.
In the coming days, two more return ceremonies are planned in Stuttgart and Berlin, as a total of 53 remains of Australian aboriginals were scheduled to be returned by Germany in April.
Other remains will be returned to representatives of the Yawuru people, and still others will be examined for their communities of origin upon their return to Australia.
Skeletal remains of Australia's native peoples were taken by scientists and researchers in the late 19th and early 20th century and placed in museums and universities in their home countries.
