Universities show there are two types of long-term thinking

The Herald Scotland

04-05-2025

Masaru Okawa said the Ainu community continues to campaign to restore their ancestor's "honour and dignity," having recovered remains from three continents in the past decade. A large part of the community's story of marginalisation is told by these and the many other scattered remains of Ainu individuals who were used as subjects of study in the 19th and 20th centuries and are still in exile around the world.
In 1913, Scottish anthropologist, physician, and Edinburgh graduate Dr Neil Gordon Munro donated three Ainu skulls to the University of Edinburgh. No records exist to say why, or how he came to possess them, although he lived among the Ainu as a doctor in his final years.
Whatever the initial circumstances, however, universities have different responsibilities in 2025.
Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, Mr Okawa Masaru, Executive Director, Ainu Association of Hokkaido and Mr Matsuura Katsumi, Director General and Head of the Comprehensive Ainu Policy Office, Cabinet Secretariat, signed the formal repatriation certificates before the skulls were officially returned to their community.(Image: Neil Hanna)
The University of Edinburgh has recently been in the spotlight as it looks to cut costs and stave off any potential financial crisis like what some other institutions are facing.
Union leaders have hit out at the university tobsay the cuts are unnecessary given the institution's financial health. The university contends that it is taking a long view: financial stability may deteriorate in only a few years and making decisions with an eye to the future could prevent bigger problems.
Having an eye for the future is one of the obligations a major institution needs to shoulder. But this week's repatriation serves as a reminder that responsible long-term thinking can also mean looking to the past.
'We can only imagine the feelings of our ancestors'
It was a reverent atmosphere in McEwan Hall on Wednesday as Masaru Okawa and the Ainu delegation took possesion of their ancestors' remains.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, Masaru Okawa and representatives of the Japanese Government formalised the handover of the skulls.
The ceremony may have marked the culmination of the university's role in the story, but Masaru Okawa said the work for his association continues.
'We can only imagine the feelings of our ancestors who spent many years in foreign lands, but we believe they are pleased to return home.'
However, Masaru Okawa said that there are still unaccounted-for remains scattered across the globe and that the association will continue working to return them all to be interred with 'honour and dignity.'
'We don't know the exact figure of how many Ainu remains are still scattered around the world, but we do know that there are many.
'We sincerely hope that all of our ancestral remains, which have been scattered around the world for research purposes, will be brought back to the original places and original people where they belong.
'We are committed to continuing to honour the spirits of our ancestors with dignity, following the traditions handed down through generations. I hope other countries will follow the University of Edinburgh's actions so we can bring back all these remains from around the world.'
Ainu Association of Hokkaido representatives Katsuyoshi Uji, Okawa Masaru, Tetsuya Ogawa conducted a traditional ceremony and held a private viewing of the Ainu skulls prior to the official handover. (Image: Neil Hanna)
Prioritising the rights of humans
The University of Edinburgh has a long history as a leader in anatomical research. This reputation was particularly high in the 19th and 20th centuries, and contributed to many now-scrutinised acquisitions of remains and artefacts from around the world.
Its historic collections house roughly 13,000 anatomical artefacts. More than 1,800 of those are skulls, and many were brought to the university during the colonial period under the direction of William Turner, one of its former Principals and Professors of Anatomy.
Although it is likely that the Ainu skulls were donated for research purposes, the current Chair of Anatomy, Professor Tom Gillingwater, said that there are no records of how the three Ainu skulls first came into Dr Munro's possession or exactly why he sent them to the university.
Among the delegation from Japan were multiple news outlets, and reporters were particularly interested in what kind of research the skulls were part of. Prof Gillingwater said he could not point to any specific research or studies to which the Ainu skulls contributed.
In 2018, the university conducted an inquiry of its collection, cataloguing the remains it holds and where they originated. Following that, the university increased its efforts to repatriate remains where possible, building on work that began 75 years ago when Edinburgh carried out what some believe to be the first repatriation from Scotland.
Professor Sir Peter Mathieson hands over one of the Ainu skulls to Mr Okawa Masaru, Executive Director, Ainu Association of Hokkaido. (Image: Neil Hanna)
Prof Gillingwater has been helping lead the university's attempts to repatriate remains to their ancestral homes for years. He said the long-running project is a mixture of 'proactive and reactive' efforts to 'prioritise the rights of the humans that we are working with.'
'These are human remains. It is a human activity to care for, to look after them, and that is always the forefront. In this instance, it is really clear that the remains should be returned to their homeland and their community, and that trumps any research.
'An awful lot of repatriation activities need to remain private, particularly when the communities we speak to demand that that is the case. When we get to the point of a repatriation such as the one we are celebrating today, where the receiving community, the Ainu community, wish to have an open public awareness of that, we are delighted to share that.'
Balancing the weight of history
Edinburgh is one of many institutions across the UK currently grappling with its ties to colonialism and the Transatlantic slave trade.
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Prof Mathieson said he was 'proud' that the university has prioritised repatriation. When asked how much more valuable it is to build or repair relationships with communities like the Ainu than it is to keep remains for research purposes, he said universities must work to balance their teaching and moral responsibilities.
'The university takes its responsibilities as a centre of teaching and research very seriously. This is a 442-year-old university, so over the centuries we have much to be proud of in the way we increase knowledge and have transmitted that knowledge to other generations.
'But there does come a time, and a certain realisation, that in the modern era our responsibilities perhaps should be more shifted to indigenous populations and people who have the rightful claim on these remains.
'And so we are very responsive if we think there is a genuine need to return remains.
'We take our teaching responsibilities very seriously, but we also have a moral, cultural and historic responsibility to return these remains to their rightful place.'