Guwahati: Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio on Tuesday asked external affairs minister S Jaishankar to intervene and halt the auction of Naga human remains scheduled to take place in the UK.
The Nagaland chief minister wrote this letter after the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) on October 7 claimed that a Naga ancestral human remains listed as a “19th century horned Naga human skull” is part of a one-day auction by the Swan Fine Art at Tetsworth, Oxfordshire, in the United Kingdom.
“The Naga human remains value is estimated at 3,500- 4,000 UK pounds and the provenance is traced to the Ex Francois Coppens Collection from Belgium. The Naga ancestral human skull is part of an auction titled “The curious collector sale” and is catalogued alongside antiquarian books, manuscripts, paintings, jewelry, ceramics and furniture,” stated the FNR in a letter to the Nagaland chief minister.
The matter, flagged by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), has sparked outrage among the Naga community, emphasizing the emotional and cultural significance of these ancestral remains.
In his letter, Mr Rio on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the planned auction of a "19th century horned Naga human skull" by Swan Fine Art in Oxfordshire. He described this auction as a violation of human dignity, calling it a continuation of colonial violence against the Naga people. "The auctioning of human remains deeply hurts the sentiments of our people and is considered an act of dehumanization," he stated.
Asserting that the Indian government should take immediate action, Mr Rio asked the external affairs minister to take up the issue with the Indian High Commission in the UK to stop the auction. He emphasized that the remains of any deceased person belong to their respective communities and should be treated with the utmost respect.
The FNR, which consists of church leaders and civil society representatives, has condemned the practice of treating indigenous remains as collector's items. They have been advocating for the repatriation of Naga ancestral remains, particularly from institutions like the Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford University, as part of a broader dialogue on restoring dignity and rights to the Naga people. The auction is scheduled to take place on October 9.
