Aims. Pointed observations with XMM-Newton provide the basis for creating catalogues of X-ray sources detected serendipitously in each field. This paper describes the creation and characteristics of the 2XMM catalogue. Methods. The 2XMM catalogue has been compiled from a new processing of the XMM-Newton EPIC camera data. The main features of the processing pipeline are described in detail. Results. The catalogue, the largest ever made at X-ray wavelengths, contains 246 897 detections drawn from 3491 public XMM-Newton observations over a 7-year interval, which relate to 191 870 unique sources. The catalogue fields cover a sky area of more than 500 deg 2 . The non-overlapping sky area is ∼360 deg 2 (∼1% of the sky) as many regions of the sky are observed more than once by XMM-Newton. The catalogue probes a large sky area at the flux limit where the bulk of the objects that contribute to the X-ray background lie and provides a major resource for generating large, well-defined X-ray selected source samples, studying the X-ray source population and identifying rare object types. The main characteristics of the catalogue are presented, including its photometric and astrometric properties

After decades of suppression and social injustice many colonized indigenous peoples are seeking to revive traditional values and cultural practices as part of a process of renewal intended to strengthen cultural identity, heal personal and community ills and provide a stimulus for new creativity. In this article the author considers the contemporary value of sacred and ceremonial artefacts as resources for cultural renewal by indigenous peoples who have lost most of their heritage materials during the colonial era and are seeking to recover from the effects of post‐colonial trauma. This process often involves the restoration of key items of cultural and spiritual heritage to living indigenous cultures, and it is these types of objects that are most frequently the subject of repatriation requests. This article explores the links between heritage and health and well‐being that become evident as indigenous peoples seek to restore cultural values and identity and renew the spiritual dimension of their cultures – as a means of dealing with life in the twenty‐first century – and considers the implications for the future roles of museums.

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