In a gesture regarded as a "milestone of transitional justice," a Scottish university has returned the skulls of four tribal warriors slaughtered almost 150 years ago to an indigenous village in Taiwan.

It was believed that Japanese soldiers who invaded southern Taiwan in 1874 and engaged in combat with the Paiwan people stole the skulls as war trophies. In 1907, they were transferred to the University of Edinburgh.

The Council of Indigenous Peoples on the island of Taiwan claims that it was the first international repatriation of ancestral remains for the indigenous population there.

"The council highlighted the profound historical significance of Friday's repatriation, emphasizing its crucial role in achieving transitional justice for indigenous peoples."

Icyang Parod, a council minister, expressed his hope that the homecoming will provide comfort and healing to the community.

In order to promote acknowledgment of the rights of indigenous peoples and encourage reflection on historical injustices, he suggested academic institutions and museums should collaborate.

While the Mudan community decides on a permanent resting site, the skulls will be housed at Taiwan's National Museum of Prehistory.

According to the university, the remains belonged to four warriors from Mudan township, which is mostly home to the Paiwan people, Taiwan's second-largest indigenous tribe.

A US Navy officer who had accompanied the Japanese as a military advisor during the fight in 1874 brought the skulls to Japan, where they remained until William Turner, the principal of the University of Edinburgh, received them in 1907.

Taiwan's Council of Indigenous Peoples submitted a proposal for repatriation in November 2021, and it was approved the following July.

Prior to the formal handover ceremony on Friday, a traditional Paiwan service was held in honor of the departed.

Tom Gillingwater, the University of Edinburgh's head of anatomy, stated that collaboration between the university and the Taiwanese community was responsible for the repatriation.

"We are dedicated to confronting our colonial past, and this repatriation represents our ongoing commitment to returning cultural objects to their rightful custodians," stated Gillingwater.