- France has formally returned the skull of King Toera, a Malagasy monarch killed and decapitated by colonial troops in 1897, along with the remains of two of his court members.
- The handover ceremony in Paris marks the first use of a new French law designed to expedite the repatriation of human remains taken during colonial rule. The skulls had been stored for over a century in the Museum of Natural History.
- While DNA tests were inconclusive, a traditional Sakalava spirit medium confirmed the identity of King Toera’s remains.
- Madagascar’s government and royal descendants welcomed the return as a long-awaited act of justice and healing.
More than a century after his violent death at the hands of colonial forces, the skull of King Toera has been returned to Madagascar in a solemn ceremony held at France’s Ministry of Culture. Alongside his remains were the skulls of two members of his court, all of whom were killed in 1897 during France’s military campaign to subjugate the Menabé kingdom of the Sakalava people in western Madagascar.
The skulls had been kept in the archives of the Museum of Natural History in Paris, part of a vast collection of human remains acquired during France’s colonial era. Their return marks the first application of a new law passed in 2023, which streamlines the process of repatriating remains taken under colonial rule.
While scientific tests failed to conclusively verify the skull’s identity, a Sakalava spirit medium confirmed it belonged to King Toera, whose descendants and community have long campaigned for its return. The Malagasy government, led by Culture Minister Volamiranty Donna Mara, described the gesture as deeply symbolic—a step toward healing a historical wound that has lingered for generations.
The remains were received in Antananarivo with traditional rites and will be transported to Menabé for burial. The skull believed to be King Toera’s will be reunited with the rest of his skeleton in Ambiky, the site of his death.
France has previously returned other colonial-era remains, including those of Sarah Baartman, the South African woman once exhibited in Europe under degrading conditions. But this latest repatriation signals a shift in policy, with thousands of remains still housed in French institutions awaiting similar justice.
For Madagascar, the return of King Toera is more than a ceremonial act—it’s a reclaiming of history, dignity, and ancestral pride.
