A descendant of Miklukho-Maclay has returned the remains of his ancestors to the people of Papua

The story of a century and a half ago got an unexpected continuation. The Russian Foundation returned to Papua New Guinea the relics taken out by ethnographer Miklukho-Maklai in the XIX century. Skulls of local inhabitants. The scientist then refuted the very basis of the ideology of racism, which was actively developed in the West. Details - in the material "Izvestia".

In national costumes - to the beat of drums, the inhabitants of Papua New Guinea meet a guest from distant Russia - a sign of special respect and honor.

A direct descendant of the great Russian anthropologist Nikolai Miklukho-Maclay - his full namesake - is returning the remains of their ancestors to the inhabitants of these territories. A century and a half ago, the outstanding scientist with the permission of the aborigines took 16 skulls from the island. Today it seems unthinkable, but then it had to be done in order to refute the openly racist theories that the inhabitants of the island of New Guinea - not people, but only some transitional species.

An event whose significance can hardly be overestimated. At the ceremony hundreds of people, because they are connected not only by common DNA, but also spiritually. Everyone was able to pay tribute to their ancestors in a dignified manner, honoring customs and traditions.

"There are many enough people and the event is big. This is the first time it is held in Madang, and, as far as I remember, in Papua New Guinea," said Nikolai Miklukho-Maclay Jr, founder of the Miklukho-Maclay Foundation and head of the Center for South Pacific Studies of the IW RAS.

All these years the skulls were kept in the museum of the University of Sydney. After seeing them there three years ago, Miklukho-Maclay Jr. noticed that many of the skulls had names on them. He went on a long expedition and, after meeting elders of many clans, was able to identify which local clans the names belonged to.

"I am a descendant of Panaki. Panaki is a chieftain, a fighter. I never knew that my ancestor Panaki's skull is in Sydney University," said local resident Stabi Igu Gasom.

It was the Miklouho-Maclay Foundation that conducted painstaking, long negotiations with the Australian side to return the remains to their homeland, realizing the significance of this event for the locals.

"In the course of the survey, I conducted more than 20 interviews, which were with groups. I was able to do photo-video documentation confirming that they want these skulls to end up together on the land where these people are from. Accordingly, what happened was that they commissioned and asked me to be the representative in Australia to be the representative of the Maclay Coast like Miklouho-Maclay once did 150 years ago," said Miklouho-Maclay Jr.

The coast in Papua New Guinea, 300 kilometers long, bore the name of the great scientist until 1914. Leaving Kronstadt in November 1870 on the corvette "Vityaz", Miklukho-Maclay crossed half the world - European capitals, the Atlantic, South America, the Pacific Ocean and only 11 months later docked on the very northeastern coast of Papua New Guinea. Miklouho-Maclay became the first European to enter those lands.

"It was thought he would not survive. Going on his journey, he was approached by Grand Duke Constantine, the trustee of the Russian Geographical Society, because with his support like they sent the corvette Vityaz, a military corvette, to land Miklukho-Maclay. So, they had to land him and he said, I'd like to leave my notes for you to come back in a year and pick them up. That he would survive was out of the question," Miklouho-Maclay Jr. said.

And he not only survived, but became a true friend to the natives. Before him, the life of tribes, as a rule, was studied from a safe distance: from ships, from the stories of missionaries. He did not just observe, but immersed himself: he lived among the natives, learned crafts, collected tales and legends. And drew with almost photographic accuracy everything he saw: dwellings, clothing, jewelry. All this provided rich material for research.

"I must tell you, he was actually the first to open a proper systematic study of the culture, traditions of peoples. We have to talk about the fact that before that it was not considered such a priority to study it all. After all, we were mostly interested in bugs, cockroaches and not in any way cultural traditions, which were recorded rather superficially," - said Miklukho-Maclay Jr.

And that is why here they not only know who Miklukho-Maclay was, but also keep the memory of the great scientist. He visited here many times, and spent a total of two and a half years of his very short life in the northeast of the island. He was called the moon man and this too is a mark of special reverence and respect.