Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio and Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar
Kohima, Oct 9: Ahead of the auction of 19th-century Naga ancestral human remains in the United Kingdom (UK) today, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has appealed to the Union Ministry of External Affairs (EAM) to halt the auction.
The Chief Minister has sought the intervention of Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar to engage the Indian High Commission in the UK to stop the sale.
He highlighted that the auction deeply hurts the sentiments of the people of the state, describing it as an "act of dehumanisation" and a continuation of “colonial violence upon the Naga people”.
Chief Minister Rio also underscored that the auction contradicts their traditions, which honour and respect the remains of the deceased.
The Chief Minister’s plea stems after the announcement of the auction of a 19th-century Naga human skull by Swan Fine Art in Oxfordshire sparked public outcry in Nagaland.
Valued between £3,500 and £4,000, the skull is listed as a “19th-century horned Naga human skull” and is part of the Ex Francois Coppens Collection from Belgium.
The announcement has prompted strong reactions from the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), which condemned the auction as perpetuating colonial exploitation and the dehumanisation of indigenous remains.
The FNR described the event as an “inhumane and violent practice” and a continuation of colonial violence against the Naga people. The skull is included in “The Curious Collector Sale,” which features various artefacts, including antiquarian books, jewellery, paintings, and ceramics.
The Forum also wrote to Chief Minister Rio, urging his intervention. The organisation called for diplomatic action to prevent the sale and respect the dignity of Naga ancestral remains.
Rio acknowledged the FNR’s efforts in promoting peace and reconciliation within Nagaland, highlighting the “emotional weight” such actions carry for the Naga community.
The auction announcement coincides with the ongoing work of the Recover, Restore, and Decolonize Team (RRaD) and the FNR, who are currently collaborating to repatriate Naga ancestral remains from the Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford University.
