What a load of rhubarb 'sacred maori heads going home' they where but slaves tattood and flogged off to traders.

Although it's right they're going home ...... please .... let's have no "maori" these types of non-stories!

Sounds like the Maoris are finally getting a'head' in the world.

This is a great scam as the heads were more than likely slaves who had been killed off to be sold to traders - it is a great excuse for a number of Maori elders to have a nice jaunt.

Repatriation is an important issue in the world. If your heads were lopped off and sent half way around the world, wouldn't it be a matter of respect to return them to their country of origin?

The rumour of who they were and what they were is not for the public to decide. The institutions who care for your history and heritage worked through a lot of compromise to do this return.

If we were all open to greater world views, a wider education, such exchanges between neighbors up to whole countries become a matter of course, if we regularly consulted our elders, and believed and knew the stories of other peoples we can be less afraid of what we don't understand and less insecure within ourselves.

The tatoos were sacred, a chief wouldn't authorize warrior tatoos on a slave. But warriors were slaves in a way, like today, the chief says "do it, because I need the oil", and it's done.

Whoever they were, severed heads shouldn't be put on display - they should be treated with respect and buried with the rest of their bodies. The body parts collected by our 19th Century ancestors in the name of science should all be returned - how would we feel if it was heads of Jacobites from Culloden?

I don't think most people would feel comfortable with their ancestors' heads being displayed in a foreign museum. I agree with Comments 4, 6,&7.

It is all well and good that museums are "repatriating" items. However, why should museums only have local items. To my mind museums should be filled with items from around the world so that people who don't have money to travel can still see items from around the world. And loans from other countries is all well and good but it would be nice to count on an item being there.