First Nations First

'Survivors from a moment in time': Ancient spears handed back

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Episode notes

More than 250 years after they were first taken, four spears, stolen by Captain James Cook and his crew after they arrived at Botany Bay, have been repatriated to their traditional owners. Representatives of the La Perouse Aboriginal Community traveled to Cambridge University in England where the artifacts, known as the ‘Gweagal Spears’ had been kept since 1771. It follows a 30-year campaign to see the spears returned to country.