Why were Aborigine skulls displayed in foreign museums?

Question

Of course it was a monstrous ethical, cultural and religious blasphemy, but, scientifically, what was the reason?

Answer 1

Remains of different ethnic groups have been displayed in different contexts.

In the nineteenth century in particular, it was a widely held belief that people outside Europe were a 'lower' type of person - skulls and the like were used to demonstrate that they had different physical characteristics and were therefore not as advanced as Europeans. Today of course we know that there is a continuum of genetic diversity in such traits and all that  19th century stuff is nonsense.

Also, there were displays that were related to cultural and anthropological diversity - probably underpinned by a lot of bigotry.

Answer 2

Mm well i know that Yagan's head was put in a british museum after the british killed him in Australia.

He was fighting the british  reign in Aus.

So i guess his head was put in a museum so the british could show its citizens that they were superior to other races?

Could be =)

Answer 3

Aborigines believe the spirits of their ancestors cannot rest in peace until their bones are buried in their native ground.

The Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action (Faira) wants the skulls laid to rest as part of a worldwide campaign to return bones taken from graves by European collectors in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.

In their research on comparative racial characteristics, anthropologists examined and measured Aboriginal skulls and teeth. Scientists added Aboriginal heads to their private collections or sent them to British and European museums. Aboriginal people are still trying to get back the skeletal remains of their ancestors so they can be given appropriate burial rites.

To anthropologists, Aborigines were passive subjects of scientific enquiry, rather than individual people