The Council of Indigenous Peoples led a delegation from the Paiwan tribe to the University of Edinburgh in the UK today (November 3) for the repatriation ceremony of indigenous remains from Taiwan. The university officially returned four skulls belonging to ancestors from the Mudan Incident region in the 1870s, which had been taken without authorization by Japanese military personnel and eventually ended up at the University of Edinburgh. This marks the first instance of Taiwan's indigenous society requesting the international repatriation of ancestral remains, holding significant historical importance and serving as a crucial milestone in indigenous transitional justice.

Based on Articles 11, 12, and 31 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which grants indigenous peoples the right to repatriate remains to their place of origin, the Council of Indigenous Peoples, led by Minister Icyang Parod, formally submitted the repatriation request to the University of Edinburgh in November 2021. In July 2022, the university agreed to repatriate the remains through the Taipei Representative Office via the UK's Edinburgh Office.

Minister Icyang expressed his hope that the process of repatriating the remains and the conduct of traditional rituals would bring solace to the tribal community and society collectively, allowing for healing amid pain and loss. This also signifies that academic institutions and museums, guided by the spirit of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, are reflecting on historical injustices. By further collaborating, they aim to reverse the impact of colonial legacies and their complex history on contemporary society. Through tangible actions like repatriation, they seek to foster a greater emphasis on the human rights of indigenous peoples in global society. The Council of Indigenous Peoples and the University of Edinburgh, respecting the traditions and wishes of the Paiwan community, have reached an agreement jointly hold the repatriation ceremony on November 3, 2023.

According to documented records and research investigations, the four indigenous remains held by the University of Edinburgh date back to the 1870s. At that time, they were acquired by James Wassson of the American military serving in the Japanese army. Wassson then entrusted the remains to American physician Stuart Eldridge, who subsequently passed them on to Edinburgh-born zoologist Dr. John Anderson. In 1887, Anderson brought the remains back to his hometown, Edinburgh. The university's anatomy department has been the custodian of these remains ever since and oversaw preservation efforts until the present day. The university's then-president, William Turner, published a study on these four remains in 1907.

During the repatriation ceremony, Vice Preisdent Gavin McLachlan of the University of Edinburgh signed the repatriation documents, officially transferring the indigenous remains that the university had held for over a century. Represented by Deputy Minister Calivat Gadu from the Council of Indigenous Peoples, our delegation and witnesses were also in attendance. Pan Chuang-chih, the head of Mudan Township, represented the various Paiwan tribal communities in accepting the repatriation. Following the repatriation, the Council of Indigenous Peoples stated that the four remains would be temporarily housed at the National Museum of Prehistory in Tainan on November 6, awaiting consensus among the Mudan Township communities for subsequent placement measures.

This marks the first international repatriation case in Taiwan. Minister Icyang emphasized that the right of indigenous peoples to request the return of remains is explicitly stated in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Through discussions on repatriation issues involving remains and cultural artifacts, he hopes to draw global attention to and promote respect for the ethical values and cultural rights of indigenous peoples.