University of Adelaide: Working towards repatriation using ancient DNA

University researchers are investigating how genetic data might be used to help return Ancestral remains of Indigenous Australians to Country.

Cultural sensitivity warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this article contains themes surrounding deceased persons and mentions Ancestral remains.

Thousands of human remains, including Indigenous remains collected throughout European colonisation for research or display, are stored in institutions across Australia. Many are unidentified, meaning there may be Ancestral remains yet to be returned to their communities and Traditional Lands. University of Adelaide researchers are investigating how genetic data can help determine provenance, furthering community-based repatriation.

The centre’s director, Associate Professor Jeremy Austin, is supervising Paepke’s research project, along with co-supervisors Associate Professor Denice Higgins and Professor Adrian Linacre from Flinders University.

In her research, Paepke is undertaking an expert survey and literature research on the protocols for the discovery, handling, reporting, and management of human remains in Australia, including Ancestral remains. Her project will also examine non-destructive ways of retrieving genetic data from Ancestral remains by testing different methods on non-Indigenous samples. In the long term, this may allow for genetic analysis of Ancestral remains without causing any visible damage.