Kohima readies burial site as Naga delegation heads to Oxford for remains

Preparations for the homecoming of 39 Naga ancestral human remains held for more than a century at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford moved a step closer on Saturday, November 7, when work began on a burial site at Naga Solidarity Park in Kohima.

The Naga Solidarity Park Management Committee said a short prayer service at the park that morning marked the formal start of site clearance and ground preparation, The Morung Express and Nagaland Post reported, citing a statement from convenor Vipopal Kintso.

Why the park

The committee said the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) and Naga Tribe Hohos had approached it on October 19 and October 30 asking for a suitable plot within the park. After consultations with stakeholders, it formally allotted a designated site.

The committee said it hoped the burial would be more than a repatriation, describing it as a chance for healing, reconciliation and a renewed sense of belonging. It said burying the ancestors at a symbolic place was meant to strengthen Naga unity "beyond tribal and artificial boundaries".

Representatives of the Angami Public Organization, Kohima Village Council, Angami Students' Union, Kohima Village Students' Union, Northern Angami Students' Union, Naga Peoples' Movement for Human Rights, Naga Students' Federation and the FNR's local arrangement committee attended, along with an architect from Zynorique Initiatives.

Delegation leaves for Oxford

A day earlier, on Friday, November 6, a delegation led by Tribe Hoho leaders left for the United Kingdom to complete the formal procedures for the return, the FNR said in a statement carried by The Morung Express. The University of Oxford's decision to return the remains brings a process of about six years into its final stage.

The FNR said the team would work to ensure a "timely, safe and dignified return", after which a public homecoming would be organised. "This is not simply bringing back human remains. We are welcoming our ancestors home," the forum said.

NNC-FGN objection

Not everyone agrees on the process. The Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN), which functions under the Naga National Council (NNC), has asked Oxford to suspend all physical transfer arrangements, The Morung Express reported.

In a representation dated November 4 to Oxford Vice-Chancellor Irene Tracey, the NNC-FGN said it was not opposing repatriation in principle but questioning the authority under which the decision was taken and whether its own position had been considered. It sought disclosure of the records behind the decision, a reasoned written reply and an independent review.

The group also disputed the university's statement that care of the dead is protected under Article 371A of the Constitution and that tribe hohos hold authority over it. Oxford had not publicly responded to the representation in the reports reviewed by NEInsider.

The remains were taken from the Naga homeland during the colonial period. Their return has been widely described as the first such repatriation to an Indian indigenous community from a British museum. No date has yet been announced for their arrival in Nagaland.