The Netherlands will return Dubois collection to Indonesia
The Netherlands plans to transfer more than 28,000 fossils from the Dubois collection to Indonesia, following a request by Indonesian authorities. Today, Gouke Moes, Minister of Education, Culture and Science, presented a letter to the Indonesian minister Fadli Zon (Culture) announcing this decision. The collection is currently managed by Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden.
Minister Moes approved the return after receiving advice from the independent Colonial Collections Committee. The collection is a valuable resource that contributes to the scientific understanding of human evolutionary history. Notable items in the Dubois collection include a skullcap, a molar and a femur attributed to a Homo erectus, a hominin that is considered a link between apes and humans.
Minister Gouke Moes: “The Committee’s advice is based on extensive and thorough research. We will apply the same level of thoroughness in working with Naturalis and our Indonesian partners to ensure the transfer proceeds smoothly. Indonesia and the Netherlands believe it is important for the collection to remain a source of scientific research.”
Marcel Beukeboom, Director General of Naturalis: “The Committee’s thorough advice has yielded new legal insights, affirming restitution as the correct path. We look forward to continuing our research collaboration with Indonesian scientists with undiminished enthusiasm.”
Unconditional return
The fossils were excavated in Indonesia in the late 19th century by Dutch anatomist and geologist Eugène Dubois. The Colonial Collections Committee has concluded, based on the research, that the Dutch state never owned the Dubois collection.
Furthermore, the Committee believes that the circumstances under which the fossils were obtained means it is likely they were removed against the will of the people, resulting in an act of injustice against them. Fossils held spiritual and economic value for local people, who were coerced into revealing fossil sites.
In light of this, the Committee has recommended that the Dubois collection be returned to Indonesia unconditionally. This is the sixth time the Netherlands has returned objects based on the advice of the Committee.
Great scientific value
The Dubois collection is of great value for scientific research. Naturalis Biodiversity Center and Indonesian researchers have maintained a longstanding partnership focused on the study of the Dubois collection. This return of objects is a new chapter in the history of the collection and a further step in the strong cultural and scientific collaboration between Indonesia and the Netherlands.
Originally published at https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2025/09/26/the-netherlands-will-return-dubois-collection-to-indonesia
