Masterpieces of the Dubois Collection Handed Over in Indonesia

The Dutch ambassador to Indonesia, Marc Gerritsen, handed over the masterpieces today to Minister Fadli Zon (Culture) of Indonesia in the presence of General Director Marcel Beukeboom of Naturalis. The handover ceremony took place at the Museum Nasional Indonesia. This museum will exhibit the objects.

Earlier this year, Minister Gouke Moes (Education, Culture and Science) decided, on the advice of the independent Colonial Collections Commission, to return the entire collection that Dubois gathered in Indonesia. This collection of over 28,000 objects is managed by the Naturalis Biodiversity Center and will be transferred to Indonesia in 2026.

The collection includes fossils and other natural history objects assembled by scientist Eugène Dubois. Most of it was excavated and collected between 1888 and 1900 by or on behalf of Dubois on Java and Sumatra.

The Dubois collection is an important source in scientific research into human evolution. Important pieces from the Dubois collection include a skullcap, a molar, and a thigh bone attributed to Homo erectus, an early hominid. These objects have now been handed over first.

The Naturalis Biodiversity Center and Indonesian scientists have collaborated intensively for decades in research on the Dubois collection, and both Indonesia and the Netherlands value continuing this research. Indonesia has indicated that the national scientific institute, the National Research and Innovation Centre (BRIN), will play an important role in the preservation and management of the collection.