ABSTRACT
The Ngarrindjeri nation have prioritised repatriation of the Old People from the beginnings of contemporary Australian cultural heritage management in the 1980s. Knowledge and experience of the theft of Ngarrindjeri Old People from burial grounds and hospitals and the role of museums in the ‘collection’ of Old People’s bodies is an important part of Ngarrindjeri history since colonisation. The leadership of Ngarrindjeri organisations such as the Lower Murray Aboriginal Heritage Committee, the Ngarrindjeri Lands and Progress Association, the Ngarrindjeri Heritage Committee, the Ngarrindjeri Tendi, and more recently, the Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority in the successful repatriation of Ngarrindjeri Old People from institutions round the world has contributed significantly to the international Indigenous repatriation movement. In this chapter, we ask readers to Kungun Ngarrindjeri Yunnan (listen to Ngarrindjeri speaking/writing) about the history of Ngarrindjeri repatriation within the broader context of Ngarrindjeri nation (re)building and reflect on the interconnectedness of repatriation work with the ongoing struggle to secure Indigenous futures. To write a Ngarrindjeri ‘history’ of repatriation, it is essential to consider the Ngarrindjeri experience of colonisation since 1836. This is fundamentally a history of resistance, survival, and Indigenous nation (re)building. In this chapter, we use a Ngarrindjeri cultural framework in the development of this account. By applying a Ngarrindjeri Yannarumi assessment to the pethun (theft) of Old People, we can better highlight the interconnected consequences of these colonial practices and explain Ngarrindjeri methodologies for redress and healing. We draw upon the interviews conducted as part of the ARC Linkage project Return, Reconcile, Renew, to consider the complex issues faced by the Ngarrindjeri nation in the long term commitment to repatriation and reburial of the Old People.
