Oxford Museum Returns 39 Naga Ancestral Remains

Oxford University’s Pitt Rivers Museum transferred 39 Naga ancestral remains to representatives of Naga organizations at a ceremony on November 9, completing their return from a collection where they had been held for more than a century. The remains, mostly skulls, were handed over in Oxford to a delegation from Nagaland, India.

The return followed years of work by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), Naga tribal bodies and the museum on how the ancestors should be cared for and returned. The FNR had sought the return of 40 remains. Oxford University Council approved 39 on July 13, 2026, excluding one because its Naga provenance could not be established, according to the university’s decision as reported by the museum and community representatives.

The transfer was conducted by the Pitt Rivers Museum, which worked with the FNR and Naga communities on the process. The museum removed all human remains from public display in 2020, the same year the return effort began. Representatives of the Naga organizations accepted custodianship of the remains at the ceremony.

Naga tribal leaders plan to bury the returned remains together at a shared memorial site in Nagaland. Thejao...