FNR convener Rev. Dr. Wati Aier read out a formal letter from PRM confirming the decision. The letter said the University of Oxford Council, at its meeting on July 13, 2026, had agreed to return 39 human remains, while declining the return of one additional remain because its provenance as Naga could not be clearly established.
The FNR and the Recover, Restore and Decolonise (RRaD) team for their work since the repatriation process began in 2020.
FNR-RRaD coordinator Rev. Dr. Ellen Konyak said PRM Director Laura Van Broekhoven reached out to the FNR in 2020 to facilitate the repatriation process.
The FNR subsequently established the RRaD research initiative with Naga academics Dolly Kikon, a professor in the United States, and Arkotong Longkumer, a professor in the United Kingdom.
The initiative worked with Naga tribal hohos, church leaders, students and communities across the Naga homeland to raise awareness and build support for the repatriation effort, Konyak said.
Konyak said the repatriation process was about the “healing and wholeness of Naga people” and called for the return to be guided by a united Naga voice, mutual respect and consensus. She also stressed the need for a dignified resting place symbolising the unity of the Naga people.
Comment Amy Shakespeare:
- It seems that formal discussions with the Naga community have been ongoing for six years. Museums should not be burdening people with the emotional toll and resources such lengthy negotiations take.
- Furthermore, reports suggest there are a further 180 belongings that the Naga community are interested in – many of which contain human remains – and yet they have not been included in this return. I do not know the reason for this. However, it seems that the colonial institution continues to dictate what may or may not be claimed, and works with communities to ‘guide’ them through the process to appease decision-makers.
- Institutions that have two separate repatriation policies for Ancestors and belongings continue to create false dichotomies between approaches to return that rely on colonial classifications and Western ontologies.
- According to their website, Oxford University’s policy on the return of human remains has not been updated in 20 years…
