39 Naga ancestral remains held at Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum are expected to return to Nagaland by mid-November, following handover
DIMAPUR —The 39 Naga ancestral remains held at the Pitt Rivers Museum (PRM) in Oxford, United Kingdom, are expected to reach Nagaland between November 13 and 15, following the official handover by the Museum on November 10.
Rev. Dr. Wati Aier, convenor of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), told Eastern Mirror that representative of Naga tribal hohos, along with FNR and the Recover, Restore and Decolonise (RRaD) team, would be in Oxford on November 8 and 9 ahead of the handover.
The delegation is scheduled to leave Oxford on November 10 and arrive in Delhi the following day.
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However, the arrival date in Nagaland has yet to be finalised, as special transport arrangements may be needed to bring the remains from Kolkata to the state.
Aier said the absence of cargo facilities on the Kolkata-Guwahati route could necessitate alternative arrangements to bring the remains to Kohima. He said the team hoped the remains would reach Nagaland between November 13 and 15, but the exact date had not been finalised.
Aier also emphasised that the repatriation was not an initiative monopolised by FNR-RRaD, but a collective effort involving the Naga tribal hohos, with FNR serving only as a facilitator.
The University of Oxford approved the return of the 39 ancestral remains to Nagaland in July. The process has involved consultations with Naga communities, tribal organisations and other stakeholders.
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