Sweden to return Finnish skulls from 1870s

Over 80 human skulls collected by Swedish anthropologists in Finnish cemeteries some 150 years ago will soon be returned to Finland, reported Xinhua, quoting the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture on Monday.

The skulls, taken from Finland to Sweden in the 1870s, are to be reburied in Finland at their original places of discovery, national radio Yle reported.

The oldest skulls excavated from graves are probably from the 16th or 17th century.

Most of the skulls were taken from the churchyard and premises of the parish of Palkane, near the town of Hameenlinna, in southern Finland.

The parish vicar Jani Kemppainen told Yle that a celebration will be arranged to commemorate the return of the skulls. The tentative arrival date will be Aug. 20 but the return of the skulls might be delayed, according to Yle.

The rest of the skulls are from three other parishes in Finland.

In Sweden, the skulls have been in the possession of the Karolinska Institutet, the leading medical university in Sweden.

The Swedish government approved the plan to repatriate the skulls in April.