France Returns Skull of Malagasy King Toera

France has returned three human skulls to Madagascar, including one believed to belong to 19th-century Malagasy King Toera, in a historic ceremony marking the country’s first official restitution under a 2023 law aimed at addressing colonial-era injustices.

The handover took place on Tuesday at the French Ministry of Culture in Paris, where officials from both nations gathered for what was described as a deeply symbolic event. The remains were transferred to Malagasy authorities and descendants of the Sakalava ethnic group, to which King Toera belonged.

The restitution follows the introduction of a legal framework last year that allows French museums to return human remains without requiring a special act of parliament. The skulls are expected to be flown to Madagascar on Sunday, where formal burial ceremonies will take place.

France returns skull of beheaded king to Madagascar after 128 years

France has returned three human skulls to Madagascar, including one believed to belong to King Toera, executed in 1897 for resisting colonization.

The remains, held in a Paris Museum, were formally handed over… pic.twitter.com/MzjNm25PP3

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Scientists confirm origin but not identity

A joint scientific committee confirmed that all three skulls came from the Sakalava people. However, the identity of King Toera’s skull could not be definitively established. Earlier genetic testing proved inconclusive, although customary rites conducted by a traditional Sakalava intermediary affirmed that one skull belonged to the monarch.

“Scientifically, it is permissible to assume that one of these skulls is his, without absolute certainty,” French Culture Minister Rachida Dati said.

Minister acknowledges colonial violence

Dati acknowledged the violent origins of the remains, stating they had entered France’s national collections “under conditions that clearly violated human dignity.” She described the handover as the culmination of a shared “historical, scientific, and memorial process” between France and Madagascar.

King Toera’s death became a symbol of resistance

King Toera was executed and beheaded by French colonial forces in August 1897 during an assault on the royal village of Ambiky in western Madagascar. Despite surrendering, he was publicly killed and his head taken to Paris as a trophy.

It was placed in the collection of the Museum of Natural History, which houses over 20,000 human remains from around the world, many of which were acquired during colonial rule.

The Ambiky massacre marked an early phase of French colonization. Troops overran the Menabe Sakalava kingdom and killed many villagers. Toera’s death became a powerful symbol of colonial brutality and resistance.

Madagascar hails return as long-awaited justice

Madagascar’s Culture Minister Volamiranty Donna Mara called the return “an immensely significant gesture,” underscoring its cultural and emotional weight. “They are not collectors’ items,” she said. “They are the invisible and indelible link that unites our present to our past.”

The return follows more than 20 years of appeals, with the first formal request by Toera’s descendants dating to 2003.

France signals broader shift in restitution policies

French President Emmanuel Macron has taken steps to confront the country’s colonial past. During a visit to Antananarivo in April, he sought “forgiveness” for France’s “bloody and tragic” colonization of Madagascar, which ended in 1960 after more than six decades of rule.

A separate bill allowing the return of cultural artifacts taken between 1815 and 1972 remains under review. Dati said she hopes the legislation will advance quickly. Meanwhile, France passed another law in 2023 to ease the restitution of Nazi-looted art to Jewish families.