The Australian Museum has returned 18 ancestral remains to the people of Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island). They were among a number of objects and remains removed from Rapa Nui by an 1882 German naval expedition and were acquired by the Australian Museum in 1883. The remains were returned in a ceremony at Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago, Chile, after which they were flown to Rapa Nui. After the remains’ arrival at Rapa Nui, the community welcomed them in a traditional ceremony. Protocols defined by the people of Rapa Nui will dictate their future care and protection.