University returns skulls

University returns skulls
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full screen University building in Uppsala. Archive image. Photo: Magnus Lejhall/TT

The universities of Uppsala and Lund must return a total of three human skulls for reburial. The skulls are part of the university’s anatomical collections.

It is the Swedish Tornedalingar Riksförbund – Tornionlaaksolaiset (STR-T) and the Lule-Boden Sámi förening that have requested that the remains be returned, which has now received the go-ahead from the government.

– This is very pleasing news. Now we can rebury the remains in the same way as we have done with the skulls that have previously come from Helsinki, says Terje Raattamaa, chairman of STR-T, to TT.

In August, 23 other skulls belonging to Tornedal, Kven, Lanthalais and Sami individuals used in racial biology research were reburied in Helsinki.

– The reburial is an acknowledgment of what went wrong, and the beginning of a reconciliation process, said Eva Kvist on STR-T to SVT at the time.

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