Lübeck Returns Indigenous Skull to Selk'nam After 110 Years

The Selk'nam community hopes for the eventual repatriation of the skull to Chile despite legal hurdles.

The skull, belonging to a member of the Selk'nam people, was returned to representatives of the community after being held in Lübeck for over a century.
The skull was originally sent to Germany in 1914 by a German emigrant and was part of a collection now known as 'Cultures of the World.'
Named Hoshkó by the Selk'nam, the skull is temporarily buried in Lübeck due to concerns over Chilean laws that could place it in a museum if repatriated.
The Selk'nam, whose ancestors faced persecution and displacement, view the return as a step towards acknowledging historical injustices.
Efforts are ongoing to change Chilean laws to allow indigenous communities greater control over their cultural heritage and ancestral remains.