Clarification of the origin of human remains, presumably Aboriginal Ancestral Remains, in the museum of the city of Alfeld

Aiming to identify Nazi looted art, in 2016 a so-called “Erstcheck” in the municipal museums of Alfeld also found ethnographics of unexplained or conspicuous origins – possibly from colonial contexts (Riemenschneider 2017). A long-term follow-up project examined objects with potentially problematic origins in more detail, finding seven human skulls without any indication of origin in the museum’s magazine in the process (Riemenschneider 2019). One skull with various inscriptions – including a racist designation that indicates Australian origin – has been reported to the Australian authorities in 2019.

In addition to the human Remains, a remarkable letter from the former museum director Wilhelm Barner to a “Miss Thege” has been found in the city archive (Stadtarchiv Alfeld, box 1, folder 3, correspondence April-December 1945): The letter discusses a skull from the estate of Alois Brandmüller (1867-1939) that had been acquired by the museum. Initially, assumptions were made identifying this skull as the aforementioned skull of Australian origin. Alois Brandmüller represents a central figure in the history of the Stadt- and Tiermuseum: From 1917 onwards, the teacher and self-taught taxidermist worked to establish a local history museum in Alfeld. For this purpose, he started producing numerous taxidermy animal in 1928 at the latest; these were subsequently exhibited in the newly created museum, which opened in 1933. It stands to reason that Brandmüller obtained the sometimes “exotic” animals through contact with the Alfeld-based animal trading companies Reiche und Ruhe, which also imported animals from Australia. Whether these companies also delivered human Remains to Alfeld needs to be investigated further.

This project should investigate more closely the origins of the seven skulls found in the magazine. Particular attention should be paid to two very likely Aboriginal Ancestral Remains. A combination of anthropological and historiographical research has aimed to provide background information and to lay the foundation of a return to Australia (and possibly other countries or societies of origin).

(c) Museum of the city of Alfeld