A tattooed Maori head will be returned to New Zealand following a ceremony on Guernsey Island, off the coast of France.
The toi moko has been part of the Guernsey Island museum collection for over 100 years.
Museum director Jason Monaghan says after visiting New Zealand he approached the National Museum, Te Papa, about returning the head, as part of its Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme.
He says the head formed part of the collections' of 19th century antiquities, but has not been on display for over 20 years.
Dr Monaghan says from the late 18th century Europeans started buying the heads as ornaments, but selling them was later banned.
He says the identity and origin of the toi moko is not known, but it will be handed over to a delegation from Te Papa at a ceremony on Guernsey Island on Monday.
The Te Papa Repatriation Programme was set up in 2003 and has successfully repatriated 70 toi moko from around the world.