Konyak Union (KU), which met a delegation of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) and Recover Restore and Decolonise (RRaD) team at the KU headquarters, Mon town, has agreed in principle to support the initiative of repatriation of Naga ancestral remains.
In a press release, KU president Tingthok Konyak and press & media secretary Nokzei P Konyak stated that KU was committed to support the ancestral Naga remains initiative undertaken by FNR with the Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford University and cooperate in any way possible to repatriate the remains of their respective ancestors.
As the apex Konyak body, the Konyak Union reiterated the importance of the repatriation process.
Speaking at the meeting with FNR and RRaD team, KU president Tingthok noted that KU had earlier sent an official letter to FNR with a desire to learn about the repatriation initiative.
He said KU was happy that FNR and RRaD team accepted the queries and decided to visit the union members to initiate a dialogue on decolonization, healing, and repatriation.
Describing as a historic event that requires Naga people to work towards unity, KU president called upon the Naga researchers to focus on the historical relevance and importance of the repatriation process.
Also, speaking at the meeting, KU vice president noted that the larger community heard about the Pitt Rivers Museum after the repatriation initiative started. He said KU believes that this was an important process, but it was pertinent that all matters related to artifacts, whether human remains or cultural artifacts, were respectfully handled.
Nokzei Konyak, however, expressed dismay that a Konyak heritage handmade gun he had donated to the Kohima State Museum went missing and could not be traced till date.
Calling upon the community and the state organs to respect the process, the KU vice president said that such unfortunate incidents should not happen with any artifacts repatriated to the Naga homeland.