bringing them

Around one hundred years ago, skeletal remains of two Iningai Elders were taken from their country, housed in boxes and subjected to scientific study. Now, due to the efforts of the Iningai Custodians, they have finally come home.
On Saturday 17th October, at 8.30am at the entrance to Iningai Park, representatives of Museum Victoria formally handed over the remains to the Custodians. Two small, brown museum boxes were solemnly handed to representatives of the Thompson and Weldon families to begin the repatriation ceremony. A funeral procession accompanied the remains to the Longreach Cemetery where they were interred in the Keeping Place in a traditional ceremony.
Spokesman for the Iningai Custodians, David Thompson said the repatriation ceremony was the culmination of work started by his late father, David Thompson Senior. “Dad started searching around the world for remains about twenty years ago; he had this vision of building a special ‘keeping place’ and bring the people home to Country,” he said.
“Dad never lived to see his dream become a reality, but about three years ago we got some funding from Desert Channels Queensland to build a Keeping Place, and with the support of the then Longreach Shire Council, we were able to build it at the Longreach Cemetery.”
The Keeping Place is a small, square, windowless room that blends into the landscape on the edge of Gin Creek at the back of the Longreach Cemetery, its besser-brick construction chosen to safely and respectfully house the unidentified remains. The single door and four walls are decorated with culturally significant figures and representations, the significance of which to the traditional owners of the land is explained in the accompanying signs.
“In September, 2007 we welcomed 5 remains back to Country, and interred them in the newly completed Keeping Place in a very moving ceremony,” said Mr Thompson. “Unfortunately, the location of death and the identity of this latest set of bones are unknown, although scientific evidence indicates that the bones were never prepared for a proper burial, and that one set was a woman and one a youngster.
“It’s very satisfying, from a personal perspective, to see Dad’s vision become a reality and to now be bringing another two remains back home.”
The Desert Channels Queensland region was once home to fourteen language groups, one of which was the Iningai people. Unfortunately, there are no recognized Iningai traditional owners remaining. Several Indigenous families from the Barcaldine and Longreach areas are now the historical custodians of what is left of the Iningai culture; these people are the custodians of the Iningai Keeping Place.