Göttingen returns skulls to Marshall Islands – A step towards healing!

Göttingen returns skulls to Marshall Islands – A step towards healing!

On October 7, 2025, the universities of Göttingen and Freiburg took a significant step towards restitution by handing over human remains to a delegation from the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The formal handover of the remains, which come from the Marshall Islands, took place in Göttingen. Doreen deBrum, Ambassador of the Marshall Islands, said this moment represents an important gesture to restore ancestral dignity. The returned remains include four skulls from individuals from Enewetak, an atoll in the Marshall Islands.

The remains were previously housed in the Museum of Ethnology in Hamburg and in the anatomical-anthropological collection of the University of Freiburg. Paul Merz, a German colonial official, sold the skulls to the Hamburg museum in 1913. It remains unclear how the human remains came into Merz's possession. This return is in the context of the German colonial administration, which attempted to exploit the Marshall Islands economically from 1911 onwards. Over the years, a total of over 1,300 bones have been collected from former colonies in Germany.

Research and responsibility

The return of the human remains is part of a research project of various provenances that has been carried out for several years. The University of Göttingen is conducting this project entitled “Human Remains from Colonial Contexts”, which deals with the critical analysis of the history of the collections. According to information from NDR The collection includes more than 1,300 bones, around 50 of which have already been returned, including to other countries such as Palau.

Falko Mohrs, the Lower Saxony Minister for Science and Culture, emphasized the relevance of this return in the context of the colonial legacy. Baden-Württemberg's Science Minister Petra Olschowski also emphasized the universities' responsibility to critically address past injustices. The University of Freiburg has also announced that not only the remains of the Marshall Islands, but also other remains from various countries have been restituted at their institution in order to achieve justice and healing for the affected cultures.

Return as part of a larger trend

The discussion about the return of cultural assets is not new. Loud Wikipedia These debates began in the 1970s. In particular, the independence of former colonies led to increased demands for restitution. The return of cultural assets such as human remains is increasingly seen as fundamental to cultural self-confidence in the countries of origin.

In recent years, numerous institutions in Europe and North America have begun to process their holdings and return cultural assets. Germany has already made several returns in this regard, including to Namibia, Australia and, since 2019, to the Marshall Islands. The ongoing discussions about restitution are often characterized by different perspectives and deal not only with legal and political aspects, but also with moral ones.

Overall, the return of the skulls to the Marshall Islands shows the importance of recognizing the history of colonial injustice and actively working to restore lost dignity. With their commitment, the universities of Göttingen and Freiburg are exemplary for a critical examination of the colonial past and the hope for a just future.