NNC says repatriation of Naga ancestral remains is a ‘national issue’

DIMAPUR — The Naga National Council (NNC) has asserted that the repatriation of Naga ancestral human remains and artefacts from the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, is a “national issue” that can only be addressed by what it described as the “Naga national government.”

In a statement issued by its joint secretary, Aciiyi Vadeo, the NNC maintained that the matter is “political in nature” as the NNC had declared Naga independence before the transfer of power by the British to India and Burma (now Myanmar). It stated that the NNC was a “mandated national institution” that went on to establish the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN), which it described as “the only competent authority to handle the issue of repatriation.”

The organisation contended that the removal of Naga human remains and artefacts by the British was “a colonial loot and a colonial sin” that required political action and accountability from the United Kingdom. “Until the government of the United Kingdom owns political and moral responsibilities for her act of betrayal and commits to correct the wrong, the time is not ripe for repatriation,” it stated.

Also read: Repatriation process of Naga ancestral human remains: The Journey Forward

The NNC further questioned the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) and its initiative, Recover, Restore and Decolonise (RRaD), which has been facilitating the ongoing repatriation process. It asked who had authorised the FNR to play such a role and warned that any “private agency meddling in a national issue without the sanction of the national government becomes ultra vires.”

It further argued that even if decolonisation is pursued for political expediency, it cannot escape the question of reparation. “Repatriation is not a mere subject of history or anthropology,” it said, adding that the idea of decolonisation through the process of repatriation was “premature to conclude” without the involvement of the national government.

“The process of repatriation, or for that matter, the so-called decolonisation, cannot conclude without the involvement of the national government,” it said, cautioning the FNR to exercise discretion and restrain from “over-enthusiasm.”