Even as nations and communities, including Nagas that experienced colonial violence and exploitation, are making efforts to put the past behind and move on by forgiving the past misdeeds, the rubbing of salt into the wounds of victims, especially indigenous people and relatively voiceless small communities, is the least any right-thinking person would expect. The listing of the “19th century horned Naga human skull” among the items to go under the hammer at a UK auction house on October 9 was no doubt an insult to the Nagas. The Naga ancestral human skull was in the catalogue for auction titled “The curious collector sale” by Swan Fine Art at Tetsworth, Oxfordshire, in the UK, invoking anger among the Nagas and beyond. It was the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) that took the lead in condemning the proposed auction, stating that “we are offended and deeply hurt that the skull of a Naga ancestor is being auctioned by an art dealer in the United Kingdom”, while terming it as “counterintuitive to the Naga search for dignity, healing and reconciliation; and for rehumanisation from the colonial project”. The forum also wrote to the chief minister of Nagaland, urging him to intervene and take up the matter with the High Commissioner of the United Kingdom. The CM subsequently wrote to the Union Minister for External Affairs, S Jaishankar, calling for immediate action to ensure that the rights and emotions of the Naga people are protected. Following this, the Naga human skull was removed from the catalogue on Tuesday evening, but not before killing humanity and exposing the lack of remorse. By putting up human remains, including those from Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, Benin, Congo, and the Solomon Islands, for auction, the UK-based auction house has undermined human dignity.
For the Nagas, auctioning the remains of their ancestors is not less than trading of human beings. For the Nagas, the value of a human life can’t be quantified in terms of money or material. Even during the headhunting days, the bodies of rivals killed in the battlefield were allowed to be taken to their villages for a dignified burial. So, it’s natural that the move of the auction house backfired. However, it may be noted that the FNR’s earlier efforts on repatriation of Naga ancestral human remains had failed to evoke a similar response from the Naga public. This time, the matter gained traction, thanks to Chief Minister’s prompt response. But this is just the beginning of a possible long fight to bring honour to our ancestors. The “horned Naga human skull” as well as thousands of stolen Naga cultural artefacts, including 6,466 items (consisting of 230 human remains) at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England, should be brought home at the earliest. We should ensure a dignified rest for our ancestors. For this, the state and central governments should step in and take the initiative with political will. The UK government also should pave the way for repatriation of all items with a tint of colonial rule. That’s the least the country can do for all the untold sufferings inflicted on fellow human beings.
