Harvard Returns Skulls of Enslaved People to Brazil After Four Years

By Elena Vasquez

Harvard University formally agreed on Monday, June 9, to return to Brazil two skulls of enslaved people taken from the country in the 19th century. The repatriation, concluded after four years of negotiations, hands the human remains to the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

The handover ceremonies take place on Wednesday, June 11. In Rio de Janeiro, the ceremony starts at 11 a.m. at the National Museum. In Salvador, the act is scheduled for 6 p.m. at UFBA's rectorate.

Whose remains are returning?

One skull belongs to an African man of Nagô origin who probably took part in the Malê Revolt, an uprising in Salvador in January 1835. Documents indicate the man died in Bahia in 1836, after being wounded in the insurrection and admitted to the Jerusalém Hospital. Researchers consider the connection to the movement plausible, though the individual's identity and any leadership role remain unconfirmed.

The second skull belongs to an adult woman of African descent, associated with the Valongo Wharf area in Rio de Janeiro — the port through which hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans entered Brazil.

Takeaway: one skull points to a named historical event; the other to the largest slave port in the Americas.

How were the remains found?

The negotiations began in November 2022, when the Islamic Cultural Center of Bahia identified the skull linked to the Malê Revolt in a Harvard survey, with support from UFBA. In 2024, Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship joined the talks.

Harvard located the remains during a review of its historical involvement in practices tied to colonialism and slavery. That survey identified remains of Black and Indigenous people held by the institution.

Takeaway: the returns result from Harvard's own audit of its colonial-era collections.

What happens next?

The skulls will stay temporarily with the federal universities. UFBA plans genetic analysis on a tooth to investigate the man's ancestry. The Islamic community of Bahia is calling for burial in accordance with religious precepts.

The two ceremonies on June 11 close a process that began with a catalogue search in 2022, and they set a precedent for further returns of human remains identified in Harvard's review.