‘Act of dehumanisation and continued colonial violence’: Nagaland CM seeks centre’s intervention to stop proposed auction of Naga human skull in UK

Following objections, the 19th-century horned Naga skull was taken down from the listed items for auction on the auction house's website as of Tuesday evening.

On Tuesday, October 8, the Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio wrote to the Union Minister for External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, to intervene in halting the proposed auction of a 19th-century horned Naga human skull in the UK.

The Nagaland CM described the planned auction of a Naga person’s skull as “dehumanising” and an act of “ongoing colonial violence.”

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio’s letter to MEA was prompted by a letter from the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), an organization of Church leaders and civil society representatives, which had contacted him on Monday (October 7) regarding the matter. In his letter, Rio emphasized that the planned auction was received “negatively” by all sections of society in Nagaland, describing it as a deeply emotional and sacred issue for the Naga people.  

He highlighted that “the human remains of any deceased person rightfully belong to their people and their homeland.” Rio further remarked that the auctioning of human remains not only offends the sentiments of the Naga people but also represents a “dehumanizing act and a continuation of colonial violence” against their community.

Urging the Ministry of External Affairs to engage with the Indian High Commission in the UK to prevent the auction from proceeding, Rio stated, “We call on the Government of India to take all necessary steps to safeguard the rights and sentiments of our people.”

The item, described as a “19th century horned Naga skull,” had been slated for auction by the prominent auction house, The Swan at Tetsworth, on October 9. It was initially valued at £3,500-4,500. However, following objections, the 19th-century horned Naga skull was taken down from the listed items for auction on the auction house’s website as of Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, numerous users on X voiced their shock and disapproval, describing the situation as “outrageous and disrespectful” to indigenous communities.

Dr. Dolly Kikon, Director of the Centre for South Asian Studies at the University of California, called for an immediate halt to the auction and encouraged others to join in the demand.

For years, the Naga community has been working to repatriate ancestral human remains from the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England. These remains are part of a collection of around 6,500 Naga artefacts gathered during British colonial expansion and have been stored in the museum for more than a century.

The repatriation process began in 2020, with the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) playing a pivotal role in facilitating these efforts. In its letter to Chief Minister Rio, the FNR highlighted its ongoing work and emphasized, “The need to prioritize the repatriation of Naga ancestral human remains is more pressing than ever.”