In a historic move for Oceanic restitution, Berlin’s Humboldt Forum has finalized the return of six sacred Duk-Duk masks to the Tolai people of East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. These towering, cone-shaped masks, adorned with feathers and local fibers, were taken by German colonial administrators in the late 1800s and are considered living ancestral spirits by the Tolai secret societies.
The repatriation follows a three-year collaborative research project between German curators and Tolai elders. Unlike many museum returns, these masks will be reintegrated into active ritual use rather than being placed in a local museum, marking a significant shift in how European institutions approach intangible cultural heritage and indigenous sovereignty.