The head of a Malagasy king killed by French troops during a colonial-era war has been formally returned to Madagascar. The handover of King Toera's skull—and those of two other members of his court—took place at a ceremony at the French culture ministry in Paris. The skulls had been brought to France at the end of the 19th Century and stored at the Museum of Natural History in the French capital. It is the first use of a new law meant to expedite the return of human remains from collections in France.
These skulls entered the national collections in circumstances that clearly violated human dignity and in a context of colonial violence, French Culture Minister Rachida Dati stated at the ceremony.
In August 1897, a French force sent to assert colonial control over the Menabé kingdom massacred a local army, resulting in King Toera's death and subsequent decapitation. His skull was sent to Paris, where it remained for over a century. Pressure from the king's descendants alongside the government of Madagascar led to the return of the skulls.
Despite the absence of conclusive DNA evidence, a traditional Sakalava spirit medium confirmed the identification. Madagascar's Culture Minister Volamiranty Donna Mara remarked that the return symbolizes an extensive healed wound in the community after more than a century of absence. This restitution is a notable gesture as it reflects contemporary efforts to confront and address colonial legacies, akin to past returns of remains to countries like South Africa and Namibia. However, this is the first return facilitated through the newly enacted law aimed at simplifying the process of returning such artifacts.
These skulls entered the national collections in circumstances that clearly violated human dignity and in a context of colonial violence, French Culture Minister Rachida Dati stated at the ceremony.
In August 1897, a French force sent to assert colonial control over the Menabé kingdom massacred a local army, resulting in King Toera's death and subsequent decapitation. His skull was sent to Paris, where it remained for over a century. Pressure from the king's descendants alongside the government of Madagascar led to the return of the skulls.
Despite the absence of conclusive DNA evidence, a traditional Sakalava spirit medium confirmed the identification. Madagascar's Culture Minister Volamiranty Donna Mara remarked that the return symbolizes an extensive healed wound in the community after more than a century of absence. This restitution is a notable gesture as it reflects contemporary efforts to confront and address colonial legacies, akin to past returns of remains to countries like South Africa and Namibia. However, this is the first return facilitated through the newly enacted law aimed at simplifying the process of returning such artifacts.
