Oxford museum returns 39 Naga ancestral remains to India

Oxford University's Pitt Rivers Museum has returned the remains of 39 Naga people taken during British colonial rule in India to members of the Naga community.

The handover

A delegation of nearly 30 people from Nagaland travelled to Britain for a ceremony at the museum on Monday. Museum director Laura Van Broekhoven called it "a historic moment that will be part of stories told to next generations." She said the remains were "on their way to Heathrow" airport after overcoming "so much red tape everywhere."

Background and context

The remains, mostly skulls, were added to the museum's collection between 1910 and 1940 and were mostly collected by two colonial administrators who were anthropologists. The museum's website states that objects collected during this period were "frequently confiscated during punitive military expeditions, rather than freely given." The Pitt Rivers Museum holds more than 6,000 objects associated with Naga culture, believed to be the largest such collection in the world.

What happens next

The remains will travel to Dimapur in Nagaland, where community representatives plan to arrange a joint memorial resting place. Naga representative Thejao Vihienuo said, "We shall put them to respectful rest." The museum removed all human remains from display in 2020 as part of what it described as a "decolonisation process." Oxford University's governing council approved the return of 39 remains on July 13, 2026. One additional remain was excluded after its Naga origin could not be clearly established.

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Sources

• bbc.com: Nagaland: Oxford museum returns ancestral Naga skulls to India
• indiatoday.in: Respectful rest: UK's Oxford museum returns remains of 39 Naga people - India Today
• nst.com.my: Oxford museum returns 39 Naga ancestral remains to India
• news9live.com: After 100 years, Oxford returns remains of 39 Naga ancestors taken during British rule | India News - News9live

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.