Aboriginal man demands British Museum return 18th century shield stolen from his ancestor

‘I was filled with pride and happiness but then I knew it would have to go back to where it’s been kept. And that really hurts. So it was really emotional knowing I’ve got to walk away’

Rodney Kelly poses with his ancestral shield during a private viewing at the British Museum (Rodney Kelly)

An Aboriginal man demanding the return of an ancestral shield seized by James Cook in 1770 has become the first living member of his clan to hold it after being invited to a private viewing by the British Museum.

Rodney Kelly is the sixth generational descendent of a warrior called Cooman of the Gweagal clan’s Dharawal tribe.