Objects including three-metre spears were collected in late 19th and early 20th centuries and donated to city’s museum
For decades, they have languished in storage in the basement of a museum in the English West Country.
Finally, an extraordinary collection of weapons and ceremonial objects taken from the Larrakia people more than a century ago is beginning a winding journey home to the saltwater landscapes of the Northern Territory in Australia.
During an emotionally charged ceremony, Bristol city council formally handed over 33 objects including spears that would have been used to hunt creatures from fish to buffalo, some still gleaming with the red ochre used to decorate them.
They will be flown to Melbourne and then taken by truck to Garramilla/Darwin – road is the only option because at three metres some of the spears are too long to be transported on a domestic flight – and the plan is to show them at the Larrakia cultural centre, which is scheduled to open on a site overlooking Darwin harbour next year.
