Heritage & Repatriation

KALACC is involved in the repatriation of historical materials, sacred and significant objects and human remains to the region.

KALACC has being tasked with the management of repatriated remains in the Kimberley Region. KALACC’s continued work with communities and stakeholders in relation to repatriation has lead to the development of the repatriation plan “The return of human remains from the KALACC Keeping Place back to Country”. In 2009 KALACC was involved in the repatriation of Australian Indigenous human remains from Austria. This involved a formal ceremony at Vienna’s Natural History Museum, where the remains were officially handed over. In 2004 and 2008 items were repatriated from the Swedish Museum of Ethnography in Stockholm, Sweden.

KALACC has constructed Keeping Places in Fitzroy Crossing, Bidyadangah and at One Arm Point. In future we plan to construct two more Keeping Places in the East Kimberley. We are also working on a plan for the development of a Regional Resting Place, where we can appropriately store items that have poor provenance i.e. that we know little about, other than that they were taken from the Kimberley.