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🇮🇳 India /Culture & Society

Oxford approves return of 39 Naga ancestral remains from UK museum

From Hindustan Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Approved/passed
  • Oxford University Council approved the repatriation of 39 Naga ancestral human remains held at the Pitt Rivers Museum.
  • The remains, taken during the colonial era, are expected to return to their homeland by the end of 2026, while Oxford declined to repatriate one set because its Naga origin could not be established.
  • Naga groups described the decision as a step toward restoring memory, justice and dignity, and are discussing dignified burial arrangements with the state government.

The path home for 39 Naga ancestral remains held at Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum is now clear. University Council approved their return, with the repatriation expected to take place by the end of 2026. One additional set will remain at the museum because Oxford said it lacked clear evidence of Naga origin.

The path home for the Naga ancestors has now become a reality as they journey to the Naga homeland. Repatriation, for the Nagas, is not simply about bones and ancestral remains finding their way back to the land, but importantly it is about memory returning to where it belongs. It is an essential step of a longer journey towards justice and dignity, and towards healing and wholeness.

· Forum for Naga Reconciliation, Recover Restore and Decolonise, and Naga tribal bodiesThe joint statement welcomed Oxford’s approval to return 39 ancestral remains.

The decision follows a joint initiative by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation and its Recover, Restore and Decolonise project, together with Naga tribal bodies. In a letter to FNR convener Wati Aier, Pitt Rivers Museum director Laura Van Broekhoven said the council had formally approved the return on July 13 and expressed hope that work could begin to bring the ancestors home.

“The path home for the Naga ancestors has now become a reality as they journey to the Naga homeland. Repatriation, for the Nagas, is not simply about bones and ancestral remains finding their way back to the land, but importantly it is about memory returning to where it belongs. It is an essential step of a longer journey towards justice and dignity, and towards healing and wholeness,” the FNR-RRaD and Naga tribal bodies said in a joint statement.

The Naga ancestral remains were taken away under duress during colonial era by colonial administrators and collectors.

· Ellen Konyak JamirThe RRaD coordinator described how the remains left Naga communities during the colonial period.

Angami Public Organisation president Thejao Vihienuo said discussions were under way with the state government on burial arrangements. Naga groups say about 219 ancestral human remains are under the care of the Pitt Rivers Museum. RRaD coordinator Ellen Konyak Jamir previously said colonial administrators and collectors took the remains under duress, and described the discovery that Naga ancestors had been displayed or stored as museum specimens as deeply shocking. A Naga delegation visited the United Kingdom in 2025 to strengthen the repatriation process and met representatives of British museums holding Naga belongings and human remains.

The knowledge that our ancestral remains are exhibited in museums across the world, or they are boxed up, housed in museums, and they are treated as specimens and collectibles; that has been news for us, and we have all been very shocked to know about this. So we (RRaD team) have tried our best as a team to go out to our community to share and talk about this information. This is a community-led initiative.

· Ellen Konyak JamirJamir explained the community response to learning that Naga remains were held in museums.
About this summary

Originally published by Hindustan Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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