"At Indonesia's request, the Netherlands is transferring more than 28,000 fossils from the Dubois collection,"
"it is likely they were removed against the will of the people, resulting in an act of injustice against them."
"Fossils were of spiritual and economic significance to the local population,"
"This collection is an important resource in research into human evolution,"
On September 26, 2025, the Netherlands announced the transfer of more than 28,000 fossils from the Dubois Collection to Indonesia. The collection includes the Java Man remains, identified as early Homo erectus and among the first fossils showing links between apes and humans. Eugene Dubois extracted the fossils from Java in 1891 during Dutch colonial rule. A Dutch Independent Colonial Collections Committee found that the circumstances of acquisition made it likely the fossils were removed against the will of the people, constituting an act of injustice, and recommended repatriation. The Dutch Culture Ministry said the fossils hold spiritual and economic significance for local populations. A handover ceremony took place in Leiden with Dutch and Indonesian culture ministers.
Read at www.dw.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]