Kohima: In a historic act towards healing and decolonisation, a delegation of Naga elders and community leaders stood face-to-face with history this week as they began the solemn process of bringing their ancestors’ remains home from the Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford University.
The human remains sat silently in glass cases, thousands of miles from the Naga homeland. For over a century, Naga human remains and sacred cultural objects collected by British explorers, administrators, military officers, and anthropologists were taken from the Naga homelands and placed in museums, libraries, and private collections across the world.
The Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England, reopened to the public on September 22, 2020, after being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the closure, the museum conducted a comprehensive review of its exhibition practices, particularly regarding cultural objects from around the world.
As part of this reassessment, it decided to remove any human remains from display and reinforced its commitment to collaborating with various communities to repatriate ancestral remains acquired during Britain’s colonial era.
The museum explicitly stated that it was “committed to change,” emphasising its openness to reconciliation with the communities from which these objects and remains originated, expressing its intention to explore ways of fostering healing through close cooperation.
The Pitt Rivers Museum holds the world’s largest collection of Naga artifacts, comprising approximately 6,459 items. These include both human remains and cultural objects such as textiles, baskets, musical instruments, wood carvings, hunting and farming tools, and jewelry.
The push for repatriation gained momentum when Australian-based Naga anthropologist Dolly Konyak joined forces with Dr. Arkotong Longkumer, a Naga social scientist based in Edinburgh.
Together, they approached Pitt Rivers Museum director Laura Van Broekhoven, who subsequently recommended the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) as the ideal facilitator for the delicate process.
FNR’s role as facilitator includes examining the broader historical and political contexts associated with the removal of the Naga ancestral remains from Naga homelands. As a result of this process, Recover, Restore, and Decolonise (RRaD), a research network, was formed to build capacity for the Naga people to engage in this process.
This week, the Naga delegation, comprising Naga elders and leaders from various Naga Tribe Hohos, and representatives from the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) and the Recover, Restore and Decolonise (RRaD) team, was welcomed by PRM Director Professor Laura van Broekhoven at the University of Oxford to initiate the repatriation process of Naga ancestral human remains that had been displayed in the museum until 2020.
“It has been a long journey to get to this moment. I am very pleased we are now at this moment of the process, that we were able to welcome all of you to Oxford,” said Prof van Broekhoven, as she welcomed the delegation.
Broekhoven revealed that over a century ago, the first Naga ancestral human remains were donated by (John Henry) Hutton to the Pitt Rivers Museum, and later many others followed.
“These ancestral remains have been in our care since then. We know that this week will be one where we will both feel grief and sadness when looking back on that past, and also we will feel hope as we work towards reconciliation and healing in the future. I hope we can support and hold each other throughout this process,” she told the delegation.
Dr. Ellen Konyak Jamir, RRaD coordinator, expressed that the Naga delegation had arrived with “hearts heavy with history.” She described their visit as part of a sacred five-year journey to reclaim the physical remains of Naga ancestors taken during the colonial era and held at the Pitt Rivers Museum (PRM) for generations.
Acknowledging the painful legacy of colonialism, Dr. Konyak Jamir commended the museum’s willingness to confront its past and appreciated the PRM’s commitment to change and ethical stewardship. “We come with hope in the process. May this journey appease our ancestors and our communities,” she added.
Dr. Visier Sanyü, an elder from FNR, performed a chant titled “Our Ancestor,” alluding to the parting of the Naga ancestor from the creator. The verse concluded with the hope that the ancestor would be reunited with the creator and aid in healing the wounds of the past.
Thejao Vihienuo, President of the Angami Public Organisation, recounted the Nagas’ history as an unconquered people until British colonisation in the 19th century fragmented their ancestral lands. “We have embarked on this historic journey, not only for the repatriation of our ancestors but also as a journey towards the process of decolonisation,” he added.
Vihienuo acknowledged that the ancestral remains displayed in the museum had conveyed the history of the Naga people in silence. “We are proud of these ancestors and are here to pay our respectful homage to them,” he said. “Nagas are aware we cannot undo the past. But… we are confident that this process of repatriation will go a long way in healing the wounds of all the people involved,” he added.
The Naga delegation then visited the room where the ancestral remains had been placed for them. This was the first time such a delegation had been granted access to the remains since they were removed from the display room.
Chanting an incantation to the Blue Sky Father and Mother Earth, Nepuni Piku from FNR invoked the name of the Almighty and announced the presence of the delegation before the ancestral remains to pay homage and respect.
He asked for their goodwill and requested that the ancestors bless those who had come to take them back home. The delegation then laid shawls in homage as a mark of respect to the ancestral remains. This brought the opening day’s events to a close.
The delegation will remain in Oxford this week to advance discussions on reclaiming Naga history and ensuring the dignified return of their ancestors.
Also Read: Unequal Ground: Why Nagaland is rising for equality and transparency
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