In a landmark gesture, France has repatriated the skulls of three individuals to Madagascar, one believed to be King Toera of the Sakalava community. King Toera was killed by the French military in 1897, and his head was severed and taken to Paris. These remains were held in a Parisian museum for the past 128 years. The French army’s attack on the Menabe state in western Madagascar in August 1897, as part of its imperial expansion, resulted in a massacre in the Sakalava region. Following the killing of King Toera, his head was taken to Paris and displayed as a colonial ‘trophy’ at the Natural History Museum. The return included the skulls of two other members of the Sakalava community, all wrapped in traditional Malagasy cloth and delivered in sealed boxes. This repatriation was facilitated by the enduring efforts of the Malagasy people and government, alongside a 2023 French law that streamlines the return of human remains. This action is part of France’s ongoing process of returning human remains acquired during the colonial era, a process that began with the return of Sarah Baartman’s remains to South Africa in 2002. The Musée de l’Ome in France currently houses over 30,000 biological specimens, including numerous skulls. Argentina and Australia have also requested the return of ancestral remains. The Madagascar government has planned a dignified funeral for the returned skulls, with a special program being organized.
