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The Ethnological Museum of the National Museums in Berlin has four objects from Kpando in present-day Ghana with human remains attached to them. At its meeting yesterday, the Board of Trustees of the SPK authorised President Marion Ackermann to conclude an agreement with the relevant authorities in Ghana on the repatriation of these objects. The Board of Trustees also authorised her to hold talks with the relevant authorities to find a solution for three objects from Australia with special spiritual significance.

The Chairman of the SPK Foundation Council, Minister of State for Culture and the Media Wolfram Weimer, explains: "Colonialism was based on exploitation and oppression. Coming to terms with this injustice is therefore an integral part of our culture of remembrance. The SPK has taken on a leading role in the examination of German colonial history in recent years. As Chairman of the Board of Trustees, I will endeavour to ensure that the Foundation continues along this path. With this in mind, I very much welcome today's decision to return the objects to the Akpini in Kpando."

Marion Ackermann, President of the SPK, says: "I am very relieved that we can now repatriate the artefacts from Ghana. I am very pleased that the question of who the objects should be returned to was resolved relatively quickly, as this is by no means always the case. But it is precisely when you can't find a quick, clear solution that joint research, sounding out interests and needs, and forward-looking cooperation are all the more important. We want to continue pursuing this approach."

The four artefacts from Ghana are two drums and two horns. They were appropriated in time and space in the context of the violent expansion of German colonial rule in the Volta region. In detail, however, they come from different contexts of origin: The two drums and a horn are insignia of the then ruler of Kpando, Togbe Nyavor Dagadu II. They were purchased by Ernst Baumann for 80 marks and sent to the Berlin Museum in 1895. Another horn, an insignia of Togbega Dagadu Anku III, was purchased by Max Belwe in 1956. It most probably dates directly from the looting of the Dagadu's palace by German colonial troops in 1913. The colonial troops took possession of the object under the leadership of Hans Gruner, arrested the ruler at the time and sent him into exile in Cameroon.

All four objects contain human remains in the form of skulls and lower jaws. However, these are not deceased persons from Kpando, but probably Ashanti killed in battle. The SPK has therefore been trying for several years to clarify to which community within Ghana the remains should be repatriated. A few weeks ago, the Ghanaian government announced that it was in favour of repatriation to the Akpini in Kpando. The repatriation is of great cultural and spiritual importance to the Akpini and the entire nation and, following extensive consultations by the Ghanaian "Focal Team on Restitution and Repatriations", will not cause tensions in the local community. Following the current authorisation by the Board of Trustees, the SPK will initiate the next steps towards repatriation in consultation with the relevant authorities in Ghana.

The talks with Australia concern objects from the Eastern Maar, which are also in the Ethnological Museum. The Foundation has been in dialogue with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) in this regard since 2023. At the beginning of 2025, AIATSIS and the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation (EMAC) submitted a request for the return of three of the eleven objects held in the museum: Two stone axes (VI 2575, VI 2576) and a necklace made from kangaroo teeth (VI 2579). These three objects are regarded by Eastern Maar as "sacred items" and of special significance. A concrete solution is now to be developed for them, be it a return or an alternative solution in accordance with the common guidelines.

Eugen von Guérard acquired the objects in the 1850s and 1860s from indigenous Australians in what is now the Australian state of Victoria. The appropriation thus undoubtedly took place in a colonial context. For a more precise assessment, the Foundation follows the "Common Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Property and Human Remains from Colonial Contexts" adopted on 14 October 2025. The perspective of the country of origin and the society of origin must also be taken into account appropriately.

It cannot be conclusively established that the appropriation of the objects took place in a legally or ethically unacceptable manner in the sense of the Joint Guidelines. No specific acts of violence have been recorded, and the objects came to the museum via people who are known in Australia to have had a good relationship with Indigenous Australians. On the other hand, there was at least an indirect context of injustice due to previous acts of violence against the indigenous people of the region: numerous massacres and persecutions took place between 1833 and the 1860s. The indigenous Australians were expelled from their traditional settlement areas and had to live on so-called stations. This resulted in a considerable change in their living conditions, as they no longer made or used wooden and stone weapons. It was only this living situation of the indigenous Australians that put von Guérard in the position of being able to obtain objects from them that were basically inalienable according to tradition and custom.

The three objects have a special spiritual and ritual significance for the Eastern Maar. In the cultural practice of the Eastern Maar, valuable objects whose creator and owner is known are cherished as highly valued and important cultural objects in order to honour the ancestors who are inextricably linked to the objects. The three objects were created or worn by well-known and exceptional members of the Eastern Maar - Hissing Swan and Yarruun Tarneen. They have thus become part of the collective heritage and are seen as imbued with the power of the ancestors. They thus have the role of living mediators of culture and are "sacred items" of the Eastern Maar.

Common Guidelines on the Handling of Cultural Property and Human Remains from Colonial Contexts

The "Joint Guidelines on the Handling of Cultural Property and Human Remains from Colonial Contexts" were adopted on 14 October 2025 by the Federal Minister of State for Culture and the Media, the Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, the Ministers of Culture of the federal states and the municipal umbrella organisations. The guidelines are based on the "First Key Points for Dealing with Collections from Colonial Contexts" and are primarily aimed at public museums and collections and their sponsors in Germany. At the same time, they serve as orientation for countries and societies of origin.

https://www.cp3c.de/grundlagendokumente/gemeinsame_leitlinien.php

Further information:

https://www.cp3c.de/grundlagendokumente/gemeinsame_leitlinien.php

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies: https://aiatsis.gov.au/

https://easternmaar.com.au/