Two Tongan skulls held in a Sydney museum have been repatriated to their traditional owners

The remains of two Tongan male skulls stored in the Australian Museum's collection in Sydney have been repatriated to their present-day descendants living on Eua Island in the south of Tonga.

They say more than 150 years after they died, the remains, skulls of one boy and one man, were laid to rest in a royal funeral service attended by hundreds last Wednesday.

They add it came after several months of negotiation between the museum, the Royal Palace of Tonga and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Mana Fonua, a descendant of Ata Island where the remains are believed to have originated, said having them returned brought closure to the community.

Fonua says that their ancestors are finally in their rightful place.

Source: ABC News