Two great-granddaughters of a Sakalava king in Madagascar, who was executed by colonial troops in 1897, have petitioned the French embassy to speed the repatriation of his skull.
They are also seeking compensation for two other skulls belonging to Sakalava people. These remains were plundered during the late 19th-century French colonial invasion and are now housed at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris, together with other human remains from Madagascar.
King Toera was beheaded in Ambiky, the old capital of the Menabe area, in 1897 after a French colonial force attack to put down a rebellion. RFI reports that DNA tests have yet to determine the identification of King Toera’s skull.
French ambassador Arnaud Guillois received a letter from two of King Toera’s great-granddaughters during the Taombaovao celebrations for the Malagasy New Year in Antananarivo on March 11, 2019.
While Sakalava King Magloire’s initial request for reparation for Princess Julia Georgine Kamamy was made in 2003, this most recent appeal is particularly significant.
Princess Marie Francia Kamamy, the eldest daughter of Queen Georgette Kamamy and a descendant of King Toera, stated that this is the first direct request under President Andry Rajoelina’s government.
“The reason why this restitution is so important to us is that according to Malagasy traditions if our grandfather’s body is not in its entirety in the tomb, his soul wanders endlessly,” she said in an interview with RFI.
“He cannot fulfill his function as a guardian ancestor for his tribe and descendants.
“That is why we, the family, want his skull back to us. It would be a symbol of forgiveness between the Malagasy and the French.”
France’s delegate acknowledged the significance of the reparation request and emphasized the importance of Franco-Malagasy shared history in future collaborations.
The French embassy in Madagascar verified receipt of the letter, which was immediately forwarded to French Culture Minister Rachida Dati.
A unified commission is expected to make a decision soon on the return of King Toera’s skull and the other two skulls.
The French law on the return of human remains from public collections, passed on December 26, is part of a larger ethical evaluation of French museum holdings.