Racial Research | The skulls taken from Finland to Sweden in the 19th century were placed back in the grave

Pirkanmaan The skulls taken from Pälkäne to Sweden in the 1870s were buried in the churchyard of Pälkäne Ruin Church on Sunday. The moment of prayer before the burial was led by the bishop Matti Repo and the vicar of Pälkäne Jari Kemppainen.

The skulls placed in the mass grave were eventually transported from Pälkäne to Sweden for racial research.

Science- and the Minister of Culture Sari Multala (kok) expressed his thanks in his speech to all those who helped in getting the skulls back to Finland.

In his speech, Multala reminded that science is self-correcting.

“This means that studies and their results are subject to constant critical scrutiny. Science does not offer final truths, but the best results of science at any given time can always be challenged in the light of new material or new theories,” said Multala.

“If necessary, this leads to clarification of explanatory models, or sometimes even to the rejection and replacement of prevailing theories with completely new explanatory models,” he continued.

Multala stated that racism and discrimination still exist, even though the teachings about races and their hierarchies have been abandoned in science. According to the minister, work must be done against racism and discrimination both in political decision-making and legislative work, as well as in everyone’s own everyday life.

“Racism and discrimination should not be given silent approval,” Multala emphasized.

Ruin church invited guests participated in the organized prayer time and the burial organized in the churchyard, but the celebrations were also open to the public.

The church was packed with the event, as was Pälkänee’s municipal manager Pauliina Pikka could already wait in advance.

“Thirty invited guests are coming. We suspect that the church will be pretty much full, because there will certainly be quite a lot of locals from the surrounding areas”, Pikka said before the start of the event.

According to Pika, a couple of hundred people could attend the event in Rauniokirke. Additional pews were reserved for the outside area of ​​the church.

“This theme is, of course, so extraordinary that of course it has aroused a lot of interest,” Pikka said.

According to Pika, representatives of the families who are thought to be the descendants of those now blessed in the grave were also invited to the event.

The management of the National Museum Agency and provincial museums, as well as the management of parishes and cities in the su
rrounding areas, had also been invited to the place.

The coffins were brought to the Ruin Church in a horse-drawn cart. After a moment of prayer, the skulls were placed in a common grave in cross-shaped coffins. The locals were allowed to participate in covering the grave if they wanted.

After a moment of prayer, the skulls were placed in a common grave in cross-shaped coffins. Picture: Kalle Parkkinen / Magazine photo

Skulls migrated from Pälkänee to Sweden for racial research in 1873, when a group of racial researchers took a total of 82 skulls from Finland. The group excavated skulls from four locations: Pälkänee, Pielavede, Rautalammi and the area of ​​the former Eno municipality, Joensuu. By far the most skulls were excavated from Pälkänee, a total of 45. The oldest skulls excavated from graves are probably from the 16th or 17th century.

The Swedish government decided to hand over the skulls in the collections of the Karolinska Institute back to Finland in April. The skulls arrived in Finland at the end of August.