What Are MPs Asking For?
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations (APPGUAR) has released a report titled Laying Ancestors to Rest, which calls for a change in UK law to make it illegal to publicly display or sell ancestral remains without consent. The group highlights the distress caused to descendants and diaspora communities when human remains, including bones, skin, hair, and even artefacts incorporating human tissue, are exhibited.
“I found myself in a mix of freeze and fight immediately upon seeing my ancestors’ body parts, having the knowledge that they were Sudanese people who were buried in Omdurman in 1898 during the so-called Battle of Omdurman; to see that their graves had been robbed and that their heads were brought back as trophies and then the trophies were used for race science. It was so overwhelming.’
– Member of the Edinburgh Sudanese Community Partnership, quoted in Laying Ancestors to Rest Report
The report specifically addresses ancestral remains brought to the UK through colonial practices and advocates for their repatriation wherever possible. It calls for amendments to the Human Tissue Act 2004 to include all human remains, including those over 100 years old, ensuring that these are treated with dignity and respect.
‘In terms of the trade… it is absolutely amazing that we have managed to introduce a change in the law for ivory, but not for human skulls.’
Curator, Quoted in ‘Laying Ancestors to Rest’ Policy Brief, March 2025
In addition to legal changes, the report recommends that museums train individuals from UK civil society and community groups in museum cataloguing practices. This would enable community representatives to actively participate in managing collections of African ancestral remains. The group also calls on national museums (such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, Science Museum, and Natural History Museum) to remove these items from their collections where appropriate.
The report also suggests establishing a memorial or burial site in the UK for remains that cannot be returned due to their origins being obscured by colonial violence. This would offer a respectful alternative to continued public display.
Global Best Practices in Repatriation
Many countries have already taken significant steps to address the ethical issues involved. The APPGUAR report highlights several global examples of best practices, suggesting that the UK could learn from these examples to develop its own policies for the respectful and ethical handling of ancestral remains.
Australia has implemented a proactive repatriation policy specifically focused on Indigenous remains. The government established the Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation, an all-Indigenous body appointed by the Minister for the Arts. This committee provides guidance on policies and programmes related to the repatriation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains and sacred objects.
New Zealand has taken a community-led approach to repatriation. In 2003, the government tasked the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa with creating an official programme to repatriate Māori and Moriori ancestral remains from international institutions. This process is designed to be culturally sensitive and focuses on guardianship rather than ownership. The involvement of local communities is central, ensuring that cultural practices and traditions are honoured throughout the repatriation process.
In the United States, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was enacted in 1990. This federal law requires all federally funded museums and agencies to return cultural items, including human remains, funerary objects, and sacred items, to lineal descendants, Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organisations.
Outside the Report
The call for repatriation and respectful handling of human remains is part of a broader movement to decolonise museum collections and address the problematic legacy of displaying human remains and cultural artefacts acquired through colonialism. This movement has gained momentum in recent years as more institutions and the public critically examine how historical objects are presented and the stories they convey.
A recent example is Hew Locke’s exhibition at the British Museum “What Have We Here?”, which took a critical look at the colonial narratives behind many of the museum’s artefacts. The exhibition encouraged visitors to reflect on the historical context of these objects and consider the real-life impact of these histories. This kind of introspection is increasingly seen as essential in the effort to move away from outdated colonial perspectives.
Many museums have also started to rethink how they present human remains. Some institutions now refer to “mummified person” or use their names when known, rather than simply labelling them as “mummies.” This shift aims to humanise the deceased and acknowledge their individuality, rather than treating them as mere artefacts. Despite these changes, the public display of human remains remains a deeply contentious issue. While many museums claim to follow ethical guidelines, the growing call for legal reform highlights the need for more consistent and impactful practices across institutions.
This push for change within museums runs parallel to broader discussions on repatriation within the art and heritage sector. In March, Tate Britain agreed to return a 17th-century painting to the family of a Jewish Belgian art collector after it was seized by Nazis during World War II. The year prior, the British Museum faced a major scandal when an internal investigation revealed that the institution had violated UK law by failing to report the disappearance of around 2,000 artefacts over the course of a decade. This controversy reignited debates on the argument that cultural items are in fact “safer” in major UK institutions.
These developments reflect a growing consensus that museums must reassess their responsibilities and ethical standards when handling human remains and culturally significant items. As public awareness and advocacy for decolonisation increase, the pressure on institutions to update their practices continues to build.
References
All-Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations (APPGUAR), 2025. Laying Ancestors to Rest : Policy Brief [Accessed APR. 2025].
The Guardian, 2025. Ancestral remains should no longer be displayed in UK museums, say MPs. [Accessed APR. 2025].
CNN style, 2024. Don’t say ‘mummy’: Why museums are rebranding ancient Egyptian remains [Accessed APR. 2025].
