In a ceremony held in Leiden, the Netherlands’ National Museum of World Cultures (NMVW) formally returned a collection of 17th-century royal regalia to the descendants of the Bugis royalty in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The collection includes a ceremonial gold kris (dagger), a diamond-encrusted headdress, and several silk banners.
These items were seized by Dutch colonial forces during a military expedition in the mid-1800s and have been part of the state collection since then. The restitution follows the 2024 'Colonial Provenance Mandate,' which prioritizes the return of objects taken through coercion or military force. This is the first time Bugis-specific royal items have been fully repatriated.
Indonesian culture officials stated that the regalia will be housed in the South Sulawesi Provincial Museum. The return is viewed as a vital step in cultural healing and reclaiming the maritime history of the seafaring Bugis people.