Sarawak Museum Department director Ipoi Datan said the 122 pieces of “human burials” were found by Tom Harisson and his wife Barbara Harrison while carrying out excavation works at West Mouth, Niah Caves, in the 1950s to 1960s.

He said the pieces were brought to Nevada for studies and documentation, which were conducted by physical anthropologists and archaeologists, Dr Richard Brooks and his wife Dr Sheilagh Brooks.

“They kept the human burials in their house. When they retired, the Niah Collections were sent for safekeeping to UNLV, 10 years ago,” he told a media conference at Sarawak Museum here today.

He said it was the responsibility of the Sarawak Museum Department as “owner” of the historical find to bring the Niah Collection back to Sarawak.

“An agreement was reached and a memorandum of understanding signed during our second visit from March 7 till March 14,” said Ipoi, who represented the department in the MoU.

He said the Niah collection, which was kept in 33 boxes, was brought from UNLV to University of Florida where they were temporarily kept under the safekeeping of physical anthropologist Dr John Krigbaum.

He said the collection could only be brought to Sarawak in 2019 as the Sarawak Museum Campus was still under construction.