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New Zealand celebrates return of stolen indigenous remains

The remains of sixty-four indigenous Maori and Moriori people, stolen in the 19th Century by Austria, have been returned to New Zealand after more than 70 years of negotiations.

Skulls, craniums, and loose mandibles and maxilla fragments were handed over after being displayed in Vienna's National History Museum for decades.

Courtney Johnston, who is the chief executive of the Te Papa Museum of New Zealand, describes the move as a form of "healing" for indigenous communities.

But what do we know about the Austrian man who stole the remains in the first place?

(Photo: Descendants attend a welcoming ceremony for Maori and Moriori ancestral remains that were returned from Vienna. Credit: Marty Melville/AFP via Getty Images)

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3 minutes