A Naga delegation led by Tribe Hoho leaders left for Oxford in the United Kingdom on Friday to formalise the return of 39 colonial-era ancestral human remains held by the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) said.
The University of Oxford Council has officially decided to return the remains to the Naga people, bringing the six-year-long repatriation process to its final stages.
The FNR, which has been facilitating the process under the decisive leadership of the Naga Tribe Hohos, said the delegation will complete the official and formal procedures to ensure the “timely, safe and dignified return” of the remains.
Once these are done, a public homecoming “grounded in respect, reconciliation and the restoration of human dignity” will be organised, it said, adding that an update will be made in due time.
“This is a moment of profound historical, cultural and human significance for the Naga people,” the FNR said in a statement on Friday.
“The delegation is undertaking a journey that goes far beyond the repatriation of human remains. It is a journey to welcome our ancestors’ home with dignity, gratitude, respect and love,” it added.
The forum said the remains had for generations been kept far from their homeland, separated from their people, culture and ancestral lands. Their return, it said, marks an important step towards restoring their dignity and addressing a painful chapter in Naga history.
The FNR said the homecoming would also be an occasion for historical reflection, healing and reconciliation, giving the present generation an opportunity to reconnect with their ancestors and acknowledge the injustices of the past.
It said the occasion would also allow Nagas to reaffirm their responsibility to preserve their history, identity and cultural heritage.
“This is not simply bringing back human remains. We are welcoming our ancestors’ home. Those who were once taken away, and whose stories remained largely untold, will finally return to the land of their birth and to the embrace of their people,” the Forum said.
“This is not merely a return from Oxford to Nagaland. It is a homecoming across generations — a moment for remembrance, healing and a new beginning,” it added.
