The Department of Archaeology and the Tourism Study Program at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM), formally returned a collection of cultural artifacts to the Warloka community in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, on Monday (Jul. 14).
The items, weighing approximately 40 kilograms and categorized into 15 types, including jewelry, tools, ceramics, pottery, coins, and the skeletal remains of three ancestors, were initially excavated 15 years ago and have since been stored at UGM for research purposes.
This repatriation highlights the importance of ethical responsibility in academic work, underscoring researchers’ positionality and the principles of justice in sharing knowledge and research benefits.
Dr. Tular Sudarmadi, head of the repatriation team, emphasized that cultural heritage must not be managed through exploitative approaches rooted in colonial practices. As academics, he asserted, it is crucial to foster equitable relationships with the communities being studied.
UGM is currently drafting university-wide guidelines for the management of excavated archaeological materials, marking the first such initiative in Indonesia.
“I feel a moral obligation to return these items to the Warloka community,” said Dr. Sudarmadi on Wednesday (Jul. 16).
Another FIB lecturer, Dr. Rucitarahma Ristiawan, added that returning artifacts to their communities of origin is a vital step toward achieving epistemic justice. He stressed the importance of equitably distributing the benefits of research between scholars and communities.
Repatriation, he said, is not merely symbolic but represents a concrete shift in academic practice.
“This act of repatriation affirms the value of local knowledge systems and strengthens the community’s right to narrate its own history,” he explained.
The repatriation effort was also supported by UGM postgraduate archaeology student Oto Alcianto and an international collaboration with the University of Glasgow, facilitated by art crime and criminology researcher Dr. Emiline Smith.
Repatriation also highlights the transformative role of academics in promoting fair and ethical knowledge exchange.
As Dr. Smith noted, “This repatriation marks a symbolic shift, urging academics to reflect on ethical responsibilities, especially positionality and fair knowledge-sharing with communities. It also underscores the need for stronger government support to help institutions manage the respectful retention and return of ancestral remains and heritage.”
The ancestral remains will be reburied in accordance with the customs and beliefs of the Warloka community. Meanwhile, the cultural artifacts will be temporarily housed at the local Tourism Office while a dedicated exhibition space is being developed in Warloka.
The Tourism Office and community members are also using the occasion to educate visitors about local history and the importance of collaborative research in preserving cultural heritage. The community has pledged to enhance the protection of archaeological discoveries in the area.
“Our family members have finally come home after 15 years,” said one Warloka resident, visibly moved.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Post-editor: Salma
Photographs: UGM Research Team on Artifact Repatriation