In a landmark moment of cross-cultural reckoning and healing, a Naga delegation led by elders, tribal leaders, civil society, and scholars convened at the Pitt Rivers Museum (PRM), University of Oxford, to engage in a historic dialogue on the repatriation of Naga ancestral remains. The event, facilitated by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) in collaboration with the museum, marks a significant milestone in the Naga people’s journey toward justice, healing, and wholeness.
Addressing the event at the Museum of Natural History, Oxford University, Dr. Aküm Longchari outlined the moral, cultural and historical urgency behind the return of ancestral human remains housed at the Pitt Rivers Museum (PRM). His speech traced the emotional, political, and philosophical trajectory of the repatriation movement, describing it as an essential process for reclaiming dignity and wholeness for the Naga people. The address came after a momentous week-long visit by a Naga delegation to Oxford. For the first time in over a century, Naga elders stood in presence of their ancestors’ remains—stored at PRM since the colonial period. The emotional gravity was underscored by statements from Naga leaders, who called for the remains to be returned and laid to rest with dignity.
Dr. Longchari critically reflected on museums as symbols of colonial power, quoting Aimé Césaire: “Museums are only possible when one culture systematically steals the creations of others.” However, he acknowledged PRM’s evolving role through its “Committed to Change” initiative and its willingness to engage in redressal, social healing, and decolonisation.
He said that the seeds of this initiative were sown during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when anthropologist Prof. Dolly Kikon shared with FNR about the Pitt Rivers Museum’s initiative to return human remains taken during colonial rule. The first virtual meeting was held on November 3, 2020, and this led to an internal dialogue within the FNR, before reaching out to the Naga people, he stated.
Consequently, he said Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) constituted the Recover, Restore and Decolonise (RRaD) team to lead a community-based initiative on ancestral repatriation. Grounded in participatory action research, he said the RRaD team had been instrumental in strengthening the process from group up as well as nurturing critical solidarity and partnerships with fellow indigenous people involved in recovery of ancestral remains and decolonisation.
