NNC raises concerns over Naga repatriation process

DIMAPUR — The Naga National Council (NNC) has raised concerns over the ongoing repatriation exercise involving the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, and the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), asserting that the process requires due diplomatic protocol.

In a statement, the NNC said it had previously cautioned the FNR and its associates about the repatriation exercise, with the warning published in local newspapers on September 23.

The NNC further stated that its president had officially written to the Director of the Pitt Rivers Museum on September 14, 2026, highlighting what it described as the complexity and potential political implications of the issue.

According to the NNC, the letter made clear that the matter required due process and protocol between the two national governments.

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On the question of British colonial occupation, the NNC maintained that British official records indicate there was no written treaty between the British and the Nagas.

It therefore argued that since, in its view, there was no colonisation of Naga territory, the question of decolonisation did not arise.

The NNC further asserted that the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) was the only competent authority to undertake diplomatic discussions and settlement with the UK government on the repatriation issue.

Despite its earlier caution and correspondence with the museum, the NNC alleged that the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, and the FNR and its associates were proceeding with their own repatriation process, which it said violated diplomatic protocol.