Pitt Rivers Museum to Return 39 Naga Ancestral Remains to India
In a historic move, the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford is set to return 39 ancestral remains to the Indigenous Naga community, marking the largest repatriation in its history. The remains, mainly consisting of skulls, will be handed over in November and are scheduled to be sent back to Nagaland, India, by the end of the year. This action follows a claim made in February by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation, with the Oxford University Council approving the return in July, though one remain was not included due to uncertain provenance. Museum director Laura Van Broekhoven described this as a 'Naga-wide movement of healing,' and the museum has worked with Naga partners since 2020 to ensure respectful care and return of the ancestors.
Key facts
- Pitt Rivers Museum will return 39 Naga ancestral remains to the Indigenous Naga people.
- The remains are primarily skulls and will be returned to Nagaland, India, by the end of the year.
- The handover is scheduled for November and is the largest repatriation of human remains from the museum.
- The Forum for Naga Reconciliation submitted a claim for 40 remains in February; Oxford University Council approved the return of 39 in July.
- One remain was not returned due to unclear provenance as Naga.
- The Pitt Rivers Museum holds the largest collection of Naga material in the world, largely gathered by colonial administrators in the early 20th century.
- Most Naga remains were brought to Oxford by John Henry Hutton and James Philip Mills between 1910 and 1940.
- Since 2020, the museum has removed all human remains from display and collaborated with Naga partners on repatriation.
- A delegation of 20 Naga leaders visited the museum in June 2025, leading to the Naga-Oxford Declaration on Repatriation.
- The Guardian investigation earlier this year revealed the vast scale of human remains in British museums, prompting criticism.
Entities
Artists
- John Henry Hutton
- James Philip Mills
Institutions
- Pitt Rivers Museum
- University of Oxford
- Forum for Naga Reconciliation
- Oxford University Council
- The New York Times
- The Guardian
Locations
- England
- India
- Nagaland
- Oxford