ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the lessons learnt and relationships built between two countries and complex governance structures within organisations. The return of human remains is a deeply personal process for the relatives, families, and communities. For collecting institutions, Ancestral Remains marked the history of an era when collections had no boundaries. This chapter discusses the negotiation in 2011 of the return of 138 Australian Torres Strait Islander Ancestral Remains that resided in the UK-based Natural History Museum (NHM). This way of working formed the basis of a new and more proactive approach to working with Australian Indigenous communities by the NHM. This return was the culmination of over two years of engagement, consultation and negotiation with the Torres Strait traditional owners, the Australian government, and the trustees of the Natural History Museum.
