A Naga delegation has returned from Oxford after a key visit to initiate the process of repatriating ancestral human remains from Pitt Rivers Museum.
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DIMAPUR — A delegation comprising Naga tribal leaders, elders, members of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), and the Recover, Restore and Decolonise (RRaD) team returned to Nagaland on Sunday after a week-long visit to the Pitt Rivers Museum (PRM) at the University of Oxford, UK.
The visit, held from June 8 to 14, focused on the repatriation of ancestral human remains belonging to the Naga people.
Speaking to the media after landing in Dimapur, Dr. Rev. Ellen Konyak Jamir, coordinator of the RRaD team, stated that the delegation had gone to Oxford on a mission to repatriate their ancestors’ remains from the museum. She shared that the weeklong engagement was deeply meaningful and spiritually guided, calling it a momentous occasion for the Naga people.
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Jamir also extended thanks to the rest of the RRaD team, both those present and those working across their homelands.
She expressed appreciation to the Pitt Rivers Museum for their invitation to engage in dialogue and collaboration on the repatriation process—and their willingness to engage with indigenous communities to address difficult historical legacies.
She also acknowledged the Art and Culture Department of Nagaland for their support in making the trip possible.
Related: Naga tribal hohos meet UK parliamentarian to repatriate ancestral human remains
When asked if any agreements were made during the visit, Jamir said that a formal declaration was published and that all relevant understandings were included in it.
Regarding the next steps, she emphasised that the repatriation is a long-term, ongoing process, and the RRaD team has been working on this for the past five years—visiting communities, institutions, churches, and various organisations to raise awareness about the issue.
She reiterated that repatriation is an ‘international and complex process,’ requiring time and continued collaboration. However, the invitation from the Pitt Rivers Museum represented an important event, she stressed.
She added that they have been maintaining communication with the museum for years, and their commitment to changing policies, including removing all human remains from display, “is something we deeply appreciate.”
The visit by the Naga delegation aimed at strengthening ongoing efforts to identify, claim, and eventually repatriate approximately 219 ancestral human remains of Naga origin, currently held by the PRM, which houses the largest known collection.
As part of this initiative, the delegation was hosted at the House of Lords in London on June 11. During the visit, they met with Rt Hon. the Lord Boateng of Akyem and Wembley, a member of the British House of Lords, who expressed his support for Indigenous communities seeking the return of ancestral remains.
The visit comes in the wake of global outrage in October 2024 over a proposed sale of human remains—including those of Naga origin—by an Oxfordshire auction house. Lord Boateng, along with Baroness Black of Strome, was instrumental in initiating a parliamentary debate in response to the auction and helped prevent the sale and display of human body parts.
“No human remains should be treated as possessions, curiosity, or for profit. It is morally wrong and offensive,” Lord Boateng told the Naga delegation during their meeting.