Sir: In August I visited the Melbourne Museum to see a major Vikings exhibition loaned by Swedish museums. It contained hundreds of archaeological items excavated from burial sites across Scandinavia, and the galleries were abuzz with eager youngsters and enthusiastic school parties. However, then I reached an empty display cabinet. A label explained that the ancient Norse artefacts intended for it were not included due to objections from Aboriginal elders and members of the museum’s Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee. They considered some Viking materials contrary to their own “indigenous laws”, deeming that if allowed to be shown, “this current display could undermine many hard-won, positive steps…
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