Oxford museum makes ‘historic’ return of Naga human remains
The handover comes as Western museums reassess how they acquired exhibits from other cultures, particularly human remains, with some now returning them.
An Oxford University museum returned 39 human remains to members of the Naga community from northeastern Nagaland. The ceremony took place at the Pitt Rivers Museum, which has one of the largest collections of Naga culture in the world. Almost 30 people from the Naga community traveled to Britain for the historic moment. The remains, mainly skulls, were returned as part of a broader trend of Western museums reassessing their acquisitions of human remains.
The Oxford museum had been displaying the remains since the 19th century when it collected them during British colonial rule in India. The director of the museum, Laura Van Broekhoven, called the handover a "historic moment" and emphasized the need for respectful rest for the remains. The museum still holds around 2,700 remains in storage, collected during a time with different ethical standards.
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- Oxford museum makes ‘historic’ return of Naga human remains freemalaysiatoday.com
