RECOVER RESTORE AND DECOLONISE

FNR-RRaD holds dialogue with Sumi frontal organisations on repatriation

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Zunheboto, June 25 (MExN): A team of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) and Recover, Restore and Decolonise (RRaD) met with Sumi frontal organisations at the Sumi Hoho office in Zunheboto on June 24.

A press release issued by the RRaD stated that representatives from the Sumi frontal organisations included Sumi Hoho, Sumi Totimi (women) Hoho, Sumi Kukami (GB) Hoho, Sumi Youth Organisation, All Sumi Students’ Union and the Sumi Literature Board.

The meeting, as per the press release, “was part of the FNR-RRaD’s ongoing dialogue initiative with cultural groups (tribe) about the Naga ancestral human remains housed at the Pitt Rivers Museum (PRM), Oxford University, UK, including its possible repatriation.”

It added, “The Sumi organisations expressed support to the initiative and said they would disseminate the information and continue to engage with the issue among themselves and find ways to positively contribute to the process.”

It also highlighted that in 2020, PRM announced that it would no longer exhibit ancestral human remains and began a process of taking down the human remains and engaging with Indigenous communities to dialogue about the future status of ancestral human remains.

Since 2021, the FNR began a process of facilitating a process of dialogue around the Naga ancestral human remains and formed the RRaD team for conducting participatory action research in developing a robust Naga response which has involved gathering information and raising awareness across the Naga homeland by actively conducting interviews, making visits to various regions, engaging with community leaders and elders, and fostering public awareness about the repatriation initiative, it stated.

The FNR-RRaD team has travelled to various communities throughout Nagaland including Mon, Longwa, Chi, Longleng, Wokha, Mokokchung, Nagaland University Headquarters in Lumami, Medziphema, Zunheboto, Makhel, Ashufii Punanamei, Dimapur and Kohima.

The team has been engaging with different cultural groups, church leaders, educational institutions, and professionals through public dialogue and focus group discussions and these discussions have been well-received, creating an opportunity to share different perspectives, clarify questions and develop a common understanding. “The engagements are ongoing.”

First published in The Morung Express, Nagaland Post, Eastern Mirror, and Ukhrul Times on 26 June, 2024

Links:

https://morungexpress.com/fnr-rrad-holds-dialogue-with-sumi-frontal-organisations-on-repatriation

https://nagalandpost.com/index.php/2024/06/26/fnr-rrad-holds-meeting-with-sfos-in-zunheboto/

https://ukhrultimes.com/fnr-rrad-engages-with-sumi-frontal-orgs-on-repatriation-of-ancestral-human-remains/

About the Author

  • RRaD (Recover, Restore and Decolonise) was formed in 2021 to facilitate and engage with issues around the repatriation of Naga ancestral human remains to the Naga homeland. In 2020, the Pitt Rivers Museum (PRM) in Oxford, UK, reached out to the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) to help facilitate community dialogue regarding the “future care and return” of Naga ancestral human remains.

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About the Author

  • RRaD (Recover, Restore and Decolonise) was formed in 2021 to facilitate and engage with issues around the repatriation of Naga ancestral human remains to the Naga homeland. In 2020, the Pitt Rivers Museum (PRM) in Oxford, UK, reached out to the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) to help facilitate community dialogue regarding the “future care and return” of Naga ancestral human remains.

    View all posts

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Recover, Restore and Decolonise

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The Recover, Restore and Decolonise (RRaD) contains information and resources relating to the history and effects of the removal and repatriation of Naga Ancestral Remains. RRaD is a website that is constantly being developed and added to. Whilst we aim to only present information on this website that is appropriate for a public space, accurate and up to date, we would like to acknowledge that there are many gaps in the information shared which comes from both the historic record and our own knowledge. Please get in touch at [email protected] or any of our social media handles in our contact page, if you would like to share any thoughts or questions with us regarding repatriation, and/or if you have any comments, queries or suggestions on how we can make this website as useful and usable as possible.

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The purpose of this website is to create widespread awareness about the process of repatriation and the profound impact of colonization on Naga people. Please be warned that some of the information shared here may be distressing as they reference a problematic part of history when our ancestors were referred to as ‘savages’ and ‘inferior.’ There will also be stories of our ancestors who have passed away and their remains which were taken, researched on and displayed without consent by colonizers. We request that you take the information shared here with the gravity it deserves, and we believe that you will honour our guidelines of responsible use. 

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  • Share and reflect on the stories to assist healing and reconciliation.
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