Four spears, originally taken from an Aboriginal community by James Cook and Joseph Banks during their initial encounter with Australia, are set to be repatriated. The ceremonial handover will take place at Trinity College, Cambridge, where representatives from the La Perouse and Gweagal Aboriginal communities will receive them.
Ray Ingrey, Director of the Gujaga Foundation, described the return to the “rightful people” as a significant event. These spears, taken in 1770 and subsequently gifted to Trinity College the following year, hold deep historical and cultural significance. Direct descendants of the Gweagal craftsmen, who fashioned the spears over 250 years ago, will be present at the ceremony in Trinity’s Wren Library.
Mr. Ingrey, a Dharawal person from the La Perouse Aboriginal community, emphasized the pivotal role these spears played in the early interactions between Europeans and Aboriginal Australians. He expressed the importance of their return to the communities they were taken from, highlighting the momentous occasion it represents.
Noeleen Timbery, representing the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council, underscored the spears’ connection to ancestral heritage, traditions, and cultural practices. She acknowledged the efforts of Elders who have long advocated for the rightful ownership of these artifacts to be transferred to the traditional custodians of Botany Bay.
The spears were among the 40 taken by Lieutenant Cook from the Gweagal villages at Kamay (Botany Bay) during his exploration on HMB Endeavour in 1770. Lord Sandwich, then First Lord of the Admiralty, donated four of these spears, along with other materials from Cook’s voyage, to Trinity College, his alma mater.