Dennis Hunter's hands almost tremble as he places them around the wooden boomerang he has just accepted on behalf of the Djabugay people.
The Djabugay man and cultural development officer said the artefact had been made by his grandfather, the man he was also named after in language.
Held by James Cook University, after travelling through several owners over the decades, the boomerang, a stone axe, and photographic slides were returned to traditional owners in Cairns on Friday.
Several framed bark paintings were also returned to their Djungan creators and families.
Mr Hunter said it was a special moment and had been a long time coming.
"I was looking forward to today; I was never going to miss it," he said.
"History, culture, that's connected … I'm connected to that boomerang. Something that's meaningful and special."
He said, as well as his personal connection, it was a positive thing for the community and could help reinvigorate the local culture.
"It's a good start of a relationship where we can get more information like this, given back to community, getting more community people involved," he said.
"There are many materials out there; they're still in the process of trying to get back and trying to bring it back to community.
"It should be back home where it's safe. It's been taken away from there and it's finding its healing place."
Returned after half a century
Elder and Djungan man Charles James Archer said it was a complete surprise when just a few days ago he was told two bark paintings he had created in the 1970s would be returned to him and his family.
Born in Mareeba in 1942, Jimmy Junkinburri Archer has been painting almost all his life.
In the 70s he was in Laura learning the local traditional style and selling paintings to tourists.
"I had no idea at all that they [paintings] still existed," he said.
"It's a good feeling for me, but not only that, it's for my family as well.
"They can look at the painting and they know what I've been telling them all along about learning how to paint the stories."
Mr Archer said one of the paintings depicted a spiritual creature with stories across several traditional owner groups on Cape York.
"It was used by the traditional owners to control the younger ones," he said.
"In the early days when I'd done that, that figure there was used, if they [children] didn't behave themselves he would come out and grab you."
Mr Archer said he was happy to see the artefacts being returned and hoped many more would follow.
"It's all a good thing, especially for Aboriginal people, to see the material given back that was taken away," he said.
"They've only just started in my lifetime to start returning some of the stolen [artefacts]."
More to be done
Professor of Anthropology at James Cook University Rosita Henry said she had been working on the repatriation for the past two years.
She said a lot of intensive research was done to make sure artefacts were offered to the correct traditional owner groups and, if they wanted them, making sure they were returned in a culturally appropriate way.
Professor Henry said that even though most artefacts were donated to the university, rather than being actively sought out, they should still be returned to their true owners.
"It's the right thing to do; but also it's the right time," she said.
"In the past, it was very much about the repatriation of human remains, but now there is a real push towards the repatriation of cultural heritage objects."
Professor Henry said the return of the bark paintings was also an important example, showing artefacts did not have to be hundreds of years old for them to have a lot of value.
"Even though some people might say, 'Oh, they're not that old', they actually reach right back in time because they're paintings of spiritual beings who are significant into time immemorial," she said.
"So while the painting might be painted now, it's a representation of continuity within change."
She said she was working towards returning more artefacts in the near future.
