The University of Oxford Council has approved the repatriation of 39 Naga ancestral human remains held at the Pitt Rivers Museum (PRM) in the UK, marking a major step towards returning remains taken during the colonial era to their homeland.
The letter expressed hope that work can now commence towards bringing the Naga ancestors to their homeland. The team also met with representatives from various British museums that held Naga belongings and human remains. The museums in the UK that hold Naga artefacts and remains taken away from Naga communities during the colonial rule include the British Museum, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge University, Manchester University, South Asia Gallery, Horniman Museum and Bristol Museum.
In a letter to FNR convener Wati Aier, PRM director Laura Van Broekhoven conveyed that the University’s Council had on July 13 formally agreed to return 39 human remains while declining the repatriation of one set as it does not have clear evidence that it was of Naga origin. A Naga delegation visited the UK in 2025 on the invitation of the PRM to strengthen the repatriation process.
