Four returned skulls were not from Finland, study finds

Four of the 82 human skulls returned to Finland from Sweden in 2024 did not originate in Finland, a new study has found, Yle reports.

The skulls were taken from graves in Finland in the 1870s for racial research. Researchers say the four skulls are from “somewhere very far away”, but have not yet established their precise origin. They have determined that the remains are neither Finnish nor Sámi.

Researchers are contacting communities that may be connected to the skulls. Those communities will have a say in what further research is carried out, said Ulla Nordfors, an adjunct professor at the University of Turku who leads the research.

Incomplete or missing records are making it difficult to trace the skulls’ origins. The history of skulls taken from the anatomy department in Helsinki is particularly unclear. A fire at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, where the skulls were held in the 19th century, has also complicated the investigation. Old collections may have become mixed, Nordfors said.

Researchers began the work believing all 82 people were from Finland. Most of the skulls taken from Finnish burial sites have already been reburied. Forty-five returned skulls were buried beside the ruined church in Pälkäne in September 2024. The remaining skulls are being investigated to determine where and how they should be buried. All are to be reburied.

The skulls were collected by Gustav Retzius, a professor and scientist at the Karolinska Institute. In addition to Pälkäne, they were taken from four other Finnish locations. Their return followed years of negotiations.

The interdisciplinary KAROL study of the returned collection began in early 2025 and is scheduled to continue until the end of 2029. Nordfors leads the research, which is funded by the Kone Foundation and the Pirkanmaa Regional Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.