Kohima: Naga tribal leaders and elders from Northeast India were invited to the House of Lords this week as part of an ongoing effort to repatriate ancestral human remains held in British collections.
The delegation met with Lord Paul Boateng, a member of the UK’s upper chamber of Parliament, who expressed his solidarity and support for all Indigenous communities including the Naga people working to repatriate the physical remains of their respective ancestors.
The meeting comes in the wake of international outrage in October 2024, following a proposed auction in Oxfordshire involving human remains from the global South-including Naga ancestors. The incident sparked widespread criticism and led to a parliamentary debate in the House of Lords, by Lord Boateng and Baroness Black of Strome, calling for legal reforms to prevent the sale and display of human body parts in the UK.
The Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) informed that their intervention, alongside the voices of many Indigenous community members, was instrumental in preventing the sale.
The Naga delegation, comprising leaders from multiple tribal Hohos and the FNR, is in the UK to engage with the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford on the repatriation of ancestral remains housed in its collection.
While addressing the Naga delegation, Lord Boateng reflected on his Ghanaian heritage and drew parallels between India and Ghana, both of which endured British colonial rule and fought for their independence. He described this shared struggle as forming the foundation for freedom and justice. Noting the symbolic weight of the UK Parliament, he said it was both the place where Indigenous lands were once taken and where acts of independence were later signed. Lord Boateng emphasised that while political freedom has been achieved in many former colonies, the pursuit of true justice remains unfinished.
Focusing on the ongoing efforts to repatriate Naga ancestral human remains, Lord Boateng shared the official report of recent Parliamentary debates held in the House of Lords. The discussions centred on the ethical and legal implications of the sale and public display of human body parts in the United Kingdom, with a strong push toward establishing legislation to criminalise such practices.
“No human remains should be treated as possessions, curiosity, or for profit. It is morally wrong and offensive,” Lord Boateng told the Naga delegation. Lord Boateng added, “I salute your struggles to give voice to all Indigenous Peoples because this process represents the Indigenous peoples of the world. We are one people and all of us are deserving of respect.”
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Thejao Vihienuo, President of the Angami Public Organisation, thanked Lord Boateng for the invitation. He highlighted that the Naga delegation had travelled to the United Kingdom to redress the history of colonialism through which the ancestors’ remains were taken.
Each of the tribal leaders expressed their gratitude to Lord Boateng for his warm welcome and emphasised the urgent need to repatriate their ancestral remains to the Naga homeland.
Ngongba Tange Thamlong Phom, Vice President of the Phom Peoples’ Organisation said, “There are many ancestors belonging to our people, and the spirits will not find rest and peace until we bring them home”.
Rev Aching Peihwang Wangsa, representing the Konyak Union, spoke about the deep significance of travelling to the UK and being able to witness the remains of their ancestors, who were taken from their homeland many decades ago.
Dr. Ngullie, an elder from the FNR, remarked that “we have been called to this place by our ancestors who were cared for by the Pitt Rivers Museum.” He highlighted the deep spiritual connections shared among different peoples, rooted in the Indigenous beliefs of the Nagas. Their presence in the UK, he said, was part of a larger journey of reconciliation and healing, not only for the Naga homeland, but for all of humanity.
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