Kohima, September 20 (MExN): The Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) has described the repatriation of 39 Naga ancestral remains from the Pitt Rivers Museum (PRM), University of Oxford, as a matter of human rights, dignity and restorative justice, within the broader context of healing and peace.
In a statement, the FNR said indigenous remains were collected without consent during the colonial period under the guise of racial science and anthropology and described their return as an effort to address these historical wrongs and restore the relationship between the ancestors, their homeland and the Naga people.
The FNR’s Recover, Restore and Decolonise team has engaged with the PRM for six years on the repatriation process. The organisation said the museum’s decision to no longer display human remains created the context for dialogue and their eventual return.
The FNR also linked the process to the need to acknowledge wounds arising from colonialism, militarisation and inter-group conflict among Nagas.
Highlighting the theological dimension of the repatriation, the FNR stated that in Naga cosmology, ancestors are understood as living presences rather than objects. It said the displacement of the remains was therefore not only physical but also spiritual, and that their return would enable burial and prayer rituals.
The FNR also located the process within broader questions of cultural sovereignty, decolonisation, representation and common belonging, viewing it as an opportunity to move beyond tribal divisions towards a shared future.
It further highlighted the significance by noting the the international attention the repatriation has received, noting coverage by The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, AFP, CBS and Euronews, among others, as well as Indian publications including The Print and The Times of India.
Citing Professor Dr Laura Van Broekhoven, Director of the PRM, the FNR said she had acknowledged the historical circumstances surrounding the removal of the remains and their treatment as anthropological objects. Van Broekhoven described the process as “humbling” and as an opportunity for healing and unification among Nagas.
The FNR said the repatriation could mark a new phase of engagement between Naga communities and Western institutions based on dialogue, ethical collaboration and equal partnership, with greater indigenous participation in telling their own histories.
