The replica skull of the “Penang Woman,” estimated to be around 5,000 years old, was discovered at the Guar Kepah archaeological site. The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry previously announced that 41 skeletal remains, excavated by Western archaeologists between 1863 and 1936, will soon be returned to their place of origin. – Bernama file pic, February 7, 2025
Lost for centuries, Malaysia’s ancient skeletons still await repatriation from Netherlands
Government assures repatriation efforts remain on track despite delays
Qistina Nadia Dzulqarnain
Updated 8 hours ago
8 February, 2025
8:00 AM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR – The National Unity Ministry has assured that efforts to repatriate 41 human skeletons unearthed from Guar Kepah in Penang remain ongoing, despite earlier expectations that they would be brought back in 2024.
National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang confirmed in a written parliamentary reply on February 6 that the Penang Museum Board is actively working to facilitate the return of the human remains from the Collection Centre Netherlands (CCNL), where they have been stored for nearly two centuries.
The remains, dating back to the Neolithic period, were first discovered between 1885 and 1934 in three shell middens in Guar Kepah, located in Kepala Batas.
Shell middens are mounds composed mainly of shells and food remnants, often indicating ancient human habitation and sometimes used as burial sites. Guar Kepah is Malaysia’s last remaining Stone Age site with shell middens estimated to be over 5,000 years old.
The ministry’s statement follows Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow’s announcement in November 2023 that the skeletons were expected to be repatriated in the first quarter of 2024.
Despite this timeline, the ministry clarified that the process is still underway, involving multiple agencies, including the National Heritage Department, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, and the Foreign Ministry.
Chow had previously informed the Penang state assembly that a state delegation visited The Hague and the CCNL in March 2023, where the Dutch government handed over an agreement letter for the repatriation.
He also highlighted that the Netherlands had agreed to fund an age analysis of the skeletons at the Centre for Isotope Research, University of Groningen, which would save the federal and state governments approximately RM1.17 million while providing crucial scientific data for their exhibition at the Guar Kepah Archaeological Gallery.
The gallery underwent RM10 million in federal-funded renovations in 2022 and is expected to reopen soon, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim scheduled to officiate its launch.
However, despite assurances, the gallery has yet to open to the public, with Penang’s state-owned daily Buletin Mutiara previously quoting Chow as stating that interior works had been completed.
Chief Minister Incorporated general manager Datin Bharathi Suppiah reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to the repatriation effort. She noted that once the skeletons return, humidity tests will be conducted to determine whether they can be safely displayed in the gallery or if replicas will be required.
Separately, the skeleton of a woman, dubbed the “Penang Woman,” was discovered in one of the shell middens at Guar Kepah.
Found almost fully intact and surrounded by pottery, stone tools, and various shells, her remains are currently preserved at Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) Centre for Global Archaeological Research (CGAR). A replica had been displayed at the gallery before its renovations.
In 2013, USM’s CGAR director Professor Datuk Mokhtar Saidin stated that the Guar Kepah site, which predates the Lembah Bujang civilisation, has the potential to become a significant tourist attraction.
He noted that it is Malaysia’s only prehistoric site with evidence of marine adaptation by early humans living near the sea. – February 7, 2025
Lost for centuries, Malaysia’s ancient skeletons still await repatriation from Netherlands
Government assures repatriation efforts remain on track despite delays
Qistina Nadia Dzulqarnain
Updated 8 hours ago
8 February, 2025
8:00 AM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR – The National Unity Ministry has assured that efforts to repatriate 41 human skeletons unearthed from Guar Kepah in Penang remain ongoing, despite earlier expectations that they would be brought back in 2024.
National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang confirmed in a written parliamentary reply on February 6 that the Penang Museum Board is actively working to facilitate the return of the human remains from the Collection Centre Netherlands (CCNL), where they have been stored for nearly two centuries.
The remains, dating back to the Neolithic period, were first discovered between 1885 and 1934 in three shell middens in Guar Kepah, located in Kepala Batas.
Shell middens are mounds composed mainly of shells and food remnants, often indicating ancient human habitation and sometimes used as burial sites. Guar Kepah is Malaysia’s last remaining Stone Age site with shell middens estimated to be over 5,000 years old.
The ministry’s statement follows Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow’s announcement in November 2023 that the skeletons were expected to be repatriated in the first quarter of 2024.
Despite this timeline, the ministry clarified that the process is still underway, involving multiple agencies, including the National Heritage Department, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, and the Foreign Ministry.
Chow had previously informed the Penang state assembly that a state delegation visited The Hague and the CCNL in March 2023, where the Dutch government handed over an agreement letter for the repatriation.
He also highlighted that the Netherlands had agreed to fund an age analysis of the skeletons at the Centre for Isotope Research, University of Groningen, which would save the federal and state governments approximately RM1.17 million while providing crucial scientific data for their exhibition at the Guar Kepah Archaeological Gallery.
The gallery underwent RM10 million in federal-funded renovations in 2022 and is expected to reopen soon, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim scheduled to officiate its launch.
However, despite assurances, the gallery has yet to open to the public, with Penang’s state-owned daily Buletin Mutiara previously quoting Chow as stating that interior works had been completed.
Chief Minister Incorporated general manager Datin Bharathi Suppiah reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to the repatriation effort. She noted that once the skeletons return, humidity tests will be conducted to determine whether they can be safely displayed in the gallery or if replicas will be required.
Separately, the skeleton of a woman, dubbed the “Penang Woman,” was discovered in one of the shell middens at Guar Kepah.
Found almost fully intact and surrounded by pottery, stone tools, and various shells, her remains are currently preserved at Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) Centre for Global Archaeological Research (CGAR). A replica had been displayed at the gallery before its renovations.
In 2013, USM’s CGAR director Professor Datuk Mokhtar Saidin stated that the Guar Kepah site, which predates the Lembah Bujang civilisation, has the potential to become a significant tourist attraction.
He noted that it is Malaysia’s only prehistoric site with evidence of marine adaptation by early humans living near the sea. – February 7, 2025
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