On Friday, Culture Minister Fadli Zon officially received a letter from his counterpart in Leiden, the Netherlands that confirmed the European country’s plan to transfer to Indonesia more than 28,000 fossils of the “Dubois Collection”, looted by Dutch geologist Eugene Dubois during the Dutch colonial era in the archipelago.

Included in the collections were remains of “Java Man”, the first ever Homo erectus unearthed by modern scientists. Homo erectus lived from around 1.9 million years ago to about 150,000 years ago. 

Its skull cap, molar and femur, unearthed by Dubois in 1891 and 1892, were often used as evidence in theories suggesting the existence of early human existence in Asia. It challenged prevailing evolution theories suggesting ancient human civilization only emerged in Africa and Europe.

In a speech in Leiden on Friday, which recording was obtained by The Jakarta Post, Fadli said the repatriation was more than just a physical transfer of artifacts. The minister called it a “reconciliation of our historical narrative, an affirmation of our sovereignty and a perfecting of the story of human civilization in Nusantara.”

“The presence of these fossils in the Netherlands has disrupted the historical chain of our nation’s heritage,” Fadli said, “and the return allows us to reconnect with our past and showcase our cultural identity to the world.”

With the return, Indonesia stands not merely as a site of discovery, but also a subject of knowledge, the minister added in a separate statement issued by the Culture Ministry on Friday. He pledged to pursue the repatriation of other vital collections, and to deepen interdisciplinary research to ensure cultural artifacts.