Based on a press release on the Naturalis Museum's official website, the Dubois Collection includes approximately 28,000 fossils found on the islands of Java and Sumatra, including Homo erectus fossils discovered between 1891 and 1892 in the Trinil area, now part of Ngawi District, East Java Province.
According to a government press release on Saturday, the return of the Dubois fossil collection to Indonesia coincided with President Prabowo Subianto's working visit to the Netherlands.
Minister Zon stated that the return of the fossil collection, which serves as an important reference in the study of human evolution, confirms Indonesia's position as one of the world's oldest civilizations.
"Today we close the historical gap and restore the dignity of the knowledge born of Trinil," he conveyed.
He added that the return of the Dubois Collection demonstrates the effectiveness of Indonesia’s cultural diplomacy, affirms the legal ownership of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, and ensures continued global research access.
He addressed that this achievement is the result of extensive work by the Ministry of Culture's Repatriation Team, which since early 2025 has been conducting research and intensive negotiations with the Dutch Colonial Collections Committee (CCC).
Meanwhile, Dutch Minister of Education, Culture, and Science Gouke Moes stated that the return of the fossil collection to Indonesia demonstrates his government's commitment to repatriating colonial collections responsibly.
The Indonesian Ministry of Culture has prepared a technical plan for the transfer of the fossil collection, as agreed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science.
The two ministries agreed to establish a joint team to oversee the repatriation of the fossil collection and strengthen cooperation in research, inventory, conservation, publications, exhibitions, digitization, and capacity building for researchers and collection managers.
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Translator: Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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