GUWAHATI: Thirty-nine Naga ancestors will finally be laid to rest in Nagaland’s capital, Kohima, decades after their remains were taken to England by the British during the colonial era and housed at the University of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum.
The Oxford University Council has now returned the human remains to a Naga delegation, led by the leaders of Naga Tribe Hohos which are apex traditional bodies of tribes.
The 39 remains—all of them skulls, believed to have been taken between 1910 and 1940—were among over 6,500 Naga artefacts displayed at the museum. The remains were taken out of public view in 2020 as part of a “decolonisation process”.
The Nagaland-based Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) facilitated the repatriation process under the leadership of Naga Tribe Hohos.
In a joint statement, they termed as “historic” the transfer of the custodianship of 39 “Naga ancestral remains” to the Naga people. The repatriation ceremony was the culmination of a process initiated in 2020.
The landmark Transfer of Title Form was jointly signed by Professor Laura Van Broekhoven on behalf of the Pitt Rivers Museum, and Rev Dr Wati Aier on behalf of the FNR. Following the handover, the human remains were moved out from the University of Oxford to begin their journey home.
Professor Irene Tracey, Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford, recognised the event as “historic between the university and the Naga people”. She highlighted the repatriation journey as a distinct community-led initiative of reconciliation, healing, and peace.
Angami Public Organisation president Thejao Vihienuo, who spoke on behalf of the Naga Tribe Hohos, emphasised that repatriation is a Naga right to take care of their ancestors and an acknowledgement of common humanity. He stressed that all Naga ancestral remains kept in museums must return to the homeland with dignity.
Before boarding a flight to New Delhi on Tuesday, Vihienuo told this newspaper that the human remains were taken away by the British possibly through the most dubious means.
“In the case of some of the skulls, the names of the ancestors, their villages or communities were indicated. However, all the Naga tribes now collectively own them,” he said.
The Nagas became aware of the human remains in 2020, following which research was undertaken to establish their authenticity. As part of it, they visited many villages to gather information. While some could be authenticated, there were no conclusive findings as regards the others.
Vihienuo said the repatriation was not just transferring some human remains from one place to another, but the recognition and the acknowledgement of the right of the Nagas to take care of their ancestors.
“They have finally acknowledged that the Britishers are not the authority to take care of the remains of the Naga ancestors. This right belongs to the Nagas. It is also an acknowledgement of our shared humanity, which means they recognised us as equal human beings,” Vihienuo said.
“We are not merely taking away the remains for burial; it is also a process of correcting the wrongs done in the past. This is, in essence, a process of decolonisation. These are the deeper implications,” he added.
Meanwhile, preparatory work has begun for the burial of the 39 remains at the Naga Solidarity Park, with Vihienuo saying that the date would be fixed depending on certain clearances by the central government.
“If everything goes off well, we should reach Nagaland tomorrow,” he further said.