For more than a century, the skullcap of so-called "Java Man"—a fossilized piece of our evolutionary puzzle—sat in a Dutch museum, far from the Indonesian soil where it was unearthed in 1891. Now, after years of debate, research, and growing calls for justice, the Netherlands has agreed to return this and more than 28,000 other fossils to Indonesia, marking a historic reckoning with colonial-era collections and their legacies.
On September 26, 2025, Dutch Education Minister Gouke Moes confirmed the long-awaited decision in a letter to Indonesia’s Culture Minister Fadli Zon. "Both countries attach great importance to continuing scientific research on this collection," Moes wrote, as reported by NL Times. The fossils, known collectively as the Dubois collection, have been held at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden since their excavation in Java and Sumatra by Dutch scientist Eugène Dubois in the late 19th century. Dubois, driven by Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theories, set out to find the so-called "missing link" between apes and humans. What he found—pieces of skull, a molar, and a femur—would be hailed as the first fossil evidence of Homo erectus, a species that walked the Earth more than 1.5 million years ago.
The collection’s significance is hard to overstate. The skullcap, molar, and femur, collectively dubbed "Java Man," were once dismissed as mere ape bones but later recognized as a crucial chapter in the human story. The collection also includes a shell with mysterious carvings, thought by some scientists to be the world’s oldest known cultural artifact. But the story of these fossils is not just one of scientific discovery—it’s also one of injustice.
According to CBC News, the fossils were removed "against the will of the people," often with forced labor and under coercion. The independent Commissie Koloniale Collecties (Colonial Collections Committee) spent three years investigating the circumstances and concluded that the fossils held deep spiritual and economic value for local communities in Indonesia. The commission’s report was unequivocal: "The Dubois collection never became Dutch property," it stated, urging unconditional restitution. "Fossils were of spiritual and economic importance for local communities, and force was used to identify excavation sites," the commission found, as echoed by DutchNews.nl.
Minister Moes, speaking after sealing the agreement with his Indonesian counterpart Fadli Zon at the Naturalis museum, emphasized the importance of a careful transfer. "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," Moes said, according to CBC News. Naturalis director Marcel Beukeboom called the decision "historic," adding, "For Indonesians, this symbolizes injustice done to their country. We look forward to continuing our research with Indonesian scientists."
The restitution is part of a broader movement among European countries to return artifacts taken during colonial times. As CBC News highlights, the Netherlands has previously returned hundreds of objects to Indonesia and Sri Lanka, and earlier this year, 113 bronze statues were sent back to Nigeria. France, Germany, and Belgium have also begun repatriating items, from human remains to royal thrones and sacred altars, to their countries of origin. The momentum is growing: just this month, France returned three skulls of Indigenous warriors to Madagascar, and Canada’s Royal Ontario Museum handed back possessions of a 19th-century Plains Cree chief to his descendants.
Indonesia’s request for the Dubois collection’s return was formally made in 2022, but the issue had simmered for decades. The fossils, after all, are not only scientific treasures but also potent symbols of a “broken chain of cultural heritage,” as Minister Fadli Zon described them. "The return is a step towards healing historical wounds," Zon said, expressing hope that the collection would help restore a sense of continuity and dignity to Indonesia’s past.
On the day of the announcement, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto met with Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at their palace in The Hague—a gesture underscoring the diplomatic weight of the occasion. The transfer itself will not happen overnight. Acting Culture Minister Moes stressed that further preparation is necessary to ensure the fossils are handled with care. "Together with Naturalis and our Indonesian partners, we will take the same care in organising the transfer," she said, as reported by DutchNews.nl. The collection is expected to go on display at the National Museum in Jakarta, where, as Zon noted, it will be open to the public daily.
The Dubois collection’s return also highlights the enduring value of international scientific collaboration. Naturalis in Leiden has worked closely with Indonesian researchers for years, and both countries have pledged to continue joint studies on the fossils. "Both countries attach great importance to continuing scientific research on this collection," Moes reiterated in his official statement.
But the decision has significance far beyond the scientific realm. For many Indonesians, the presence of these fossils in a Dutch museum was a lingering reminder of colonial exploitation—a chapter marked by forced labor, cultural erasure, and the loss of ancestral heritage. The commission’s ruling that the fossils "were never legally the property of the Netherlands" resonates with similar findings in other repatriation cases, where the provenance of objects was clouded by power imbalances and coercion.
As the world reckons with the legacies of colonialism, the return of the Dubois collection stands as both a symbolic and practical step toward justice. It acknowledges the spiritual and economic importance of these objects to their home communities and recognizes their right to tell their own story. The move also sets a precedent for future restitution efforts, both in the Netherlands and beyond.
For the scientists who have studied the Dubois fossils, the transfer is bittersweet but necessary. The collection remains a cornerstone of paleoanthropology, offering insights into Homo erectus—a species that arose in Africa about two million years ago, spread into Asia, and reached Java more than 1.5 million years ago. Dating techniques suggest Homo erectus disappeared at least 35,000 years before the arrival of our own species, Homo sapiens, in the region. The fossils’ journey from Java to Leiden and now back again mirrors the shifting tides of history, science, and justice.
As Indonesia prepares to welcome home the Dubois collection, the world watches closely. The careful, collaborative return of these fossils is more than a transfer of objects—it’s a restoration of memory and a reminder that the past, however distant, still shapes the present.