Ruby Satele to Present Talk at the National University of Sāmoa

Our colleague Ruby Satele will deliver a talk at the National University of Samoa on Friday, 8 May 2026, as part of the Faculty of Arts Seminar Series.

Titled “Memory Work and Rematriation: Sāmoan ancestors in Museums and Universities of Austria and Germany,” the presentation draws on her doctoral research on the displacement of Sāmoan ancestral remains held in institutional collections in Austria and Germany, and ongoing efforts to identify and return them to their communities.

Centering Sāmoan perspectives, the talk will discuss colonial histories of collecting, current provenance research, and the concept of rematriation as a framework grounded in Indigenous relationality, sovereignty, and land-based knowledge systems. It also aims to situate Sāmoan initiatives within broader international movements advocating for the return of ancestors to Indigenous communities.

Together with her sister, Ruby also runs the YouTube channel Samoan Sisters in PhD, where they share insights into their academic journeys, research experiences, and perspectives as Sāmoan scholars. If you would like to follow her work and gain further insights into her research and reflections, you can visit the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@SamoanSistersinPHD