Kohima, September 28 (MExN): The Naga National Council (NNC) has questioned the ongoing repatriation process involving Naga artefacts from the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, stating that the matter requires due diplomatic protocol between governments.
In a statement issued on September 28, the NNC said it had earlier cautioned the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) and its associates regarding the repatriation exercise. It said the caution was published on September 23, 2025.
The NNC further stated that its President had officially written to the Director of the Pitt Rivers Museum on September 14, 2026, highlighting what it described as the complexity and potential political implications of the issue.
"The issue requires due process of protocol between the two national governments," the NNC said, adding that the Federal Government of Nagaland is the "only competent authority" to hold diplomatic discussions and seek a settlement with the UK government on the matter.
The NNC also raised the question of whether the issue could be termed one of decolonisation. Referring to British official records, it claimed that Britain had no written treaty with the Nagas and argued that "when there was no colonization in the first place the question of decolonization does not arise."
The council alleged that despite its earlier caution and the letter to the museum director, the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, and the FNR and its associates were proceeding with their own repatriation process.
The NNC described the process as a violation of diplomatic protocol and stated that the museum authorities and FNR members would be answerable for any "eventuality or question" that may arise in the future in connection with what it described as the Naga national stand on the issue.
