In 1944 a piece of tatty, blackened old metal was found on the Atkinson family property in north Queensland.

After some cleaning the words "King Bill" appeared across the front, so assuming it had some historical significance, the family kept it safely in a drawer.

"All our family would have realised it was something to do with Aborigines," descendant Allan Atkinson says. "But not knowing who to give it to or what to do with it, it was kept in the office, just thinking it would never get to anyone."

The piece of metal sat in that drawer for 60 years until a few weeks ago when Allan visited Mungulla Station, outside Ingham.

"I saw this [exhibition] about King Billy and this tour, and I said, 'I think I've got the plaque!'"

The piece of metal the Atkinsons had kept was actually the breast plate of King Billy, an Aboriginal ancestor of the north Queensland Nywaigi tribe.

Allan Atkinson handed back the breast plate to Nywaigi elders on Monday 25th August in a ceremony at Mungulla Station.

"It's only a bit of metal but it means so much to them, so I'm glad it's got a home at long last," Allan says.

After hearing the news of King Billy's breast plate, another property owner in the region Keith Miller realised his family had also found one of these breast plates.

Keith presented the King Toby breast plate to traditional owners at the same ceremony, and the two plates will now be housed at the Mungulla Station homestead.

As valuable as the finds have been, Jacob Cassady of the Mungulla Aboriginal Business Corporation says there are mixed feelings in the Indigenous community about the breast plates.

"For some it's a negative thing and it symbolises categorising people and putting people in charge of other people," Jacob says.

European settlers actually awarded breast plates to Aborigines they believed had power in their communities, and gave them English names like King Bill.

"Traditionally in Aboriginal custom there were no kings or that sort of hierarchy," Jacob explains.

"However for some Aboriginal people it was to wear them proudly and their families are proud of that.

"What we're trying to do here is turn what could be seen as a negative into a positive, and that's by promoting this very unique story."

King Billy was one of several Aborigines taken by an American showman to be displayed in Europe and America by Barnum and Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth.

But now, King Billy's descendants are happy to have a part of him back.

Nywaigi elder John Anderson says at 71 he's very privileged to be alive to receive the plate.

"To us it means the old fella has come home. As long as he's here, he'll live in respect and in peace, and it'll bring us peace."