US Edition
France returns three colonial-era human skulls to Madagascar
The return of these skulls marks the first repatriation under France's 2023 law, addressing historic colonial injustices by restoring remains held for over 128 years.
- Madagascar celebrated the return of three skulls, including one of King Toera, on September 1, 2025, after they were held by France for 128 years.
- The skulls were handed over by France in Paris on August 27, marking the first restitution under a law passed in 2023.
- They were received ceremoniously in Antananarivo by members of the Sakalava group before continuing to Belo Tsiribihina for burial.
- The skulls, believed to belong to the Sakalava people, will be buried in Belo Tsiribihina, following a ceremonial procession.
78 Articles
78 Articles
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Winnipeg Free Press
Madagascar welcomes home skulls of Indigenous warriors taken by French colonial troops 128 years ago
Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
One hundred and twenty-eight years after their forced exile to France, the three skulls of the Sakalava ethnic group, including King Toera's presumed one, are finally back on the Grand Island. They were taken by the colonial army as a trophy and preserved at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris for more than a century, and were finally returned to Madagascar by France on 26 August. A few hours after their arrival in Malagasy land, the…
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