Skulls of 19 Black Americans Repatriated to New Orleans After a Century

Skulls of 19 Black Americans have returned to New Orleans after more than a century in Germany, where they were sent for racial research.

Jacob Cochran/Dillard University

Jacob Cochran/Dillard University

After a lengthy journey that spanned over a century and continents, the skulls of 19 Black individuals have returned to New Orleans from Germany. These remains, once used in racial research, are now at the center of a poignant and historical repatriation.

Marie Louise, Hiram Malone, and Samuel Prince are among the 19 individuals whose remains were repatriated. These people, who died in the 1870s, were patients at a New Orleans hospital. Their skulls were sent to Germany for phrenological studies, a pseudoscience that erroneously claimed to link the skull’s shape to traits like intelligence and moral worth. This practice often perpetuated racial superiority theories.

Recently, these skulls were brought back to Louisiana, marking a significant repatriation effort. They were honored in a solemn ceremony that included a jazz funeral, embodying New Orleans’ rich cultural traditions. Historian Eva Baham from Dillard University, who was instrumental in the repatriation process, remarked during the ceremony, “You can be angry. You could be upset, rightly so. But we can’t stay there.” [Source]

These remains, returned by the University of Leipzig, were acknowledged as acquired in a “colonial context and unethically.” This restitution is part of a growing movement to address the unethical acquisition of remains, which still exist in museums and academic collections around the world. [More Information]

Driven by records from the now-closed Charity Hospital, researchers have pieced together fragments of the lives of these 19 people, most of whom were likely enslaved before living freely post-Civil War. The hospital, which once served the indigent population of New Orleans, closed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. [Details]

During the ceremony, students from Dillard University narrated the journey of these remains with a poetic reflection on their transatlantic voyage. The narrative emphasized their return with dignity and honor, closing with the hope of them finding peace and respect in their final resting place.

The ceremony integrated prayers from ten different faith leaders and featured African drumming and dance. The procession was marked by the dignified carrying of the skulls in memorial vessels, accompanied by a jazz band. Baham reflected on the significance of this event, stating, “History is not to wallow in, or wind about. It is to build on. It is to move forward.”