Mon, 2 June (MTNews): The Konyak Union (KU) has expressed its unwavering commitment to supporting the repatriation of ancestral Naga remains initiative undertaken by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) in collaboration with the Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford University. They said they will cooperate in any way possible to repatriate the remains of their respective ancestors.
The KU, as the apex Konyak body, recently met with the FNR and Recover Restore and Decolonize (RRaD) team to discuss the importance of the repatriation process. President of the KU, Tingthok Konyak and Vice President HA Hongnao extended a warm welcome to the visiting delegation from the FNR and the RRaD team. The delegation comprised Dr Rev Ellen C Jamir, Dr Dolly Kikon, Manngai Nemdakly, and Kuvethilu Theluo.
During the official welcome speech, KU President Tingthok highlighted that the KU had previously sent an official letter to the FNR, expressing their keen interest in learning about the repatriation initiative.
The KU said they are happy that the FNR and RRaD team accepted their queries and decided to visit them, initiating a dialogue on decolonization, healing, and repatriation.
Stating that it is a historic event that requires Naga people to work towards unity, the KU President called upon the Naga researchers to focus on the historical relevance and importance of the repatriation process.
The KU Vice President, speaking at the same event, acknowledged that the larger community heard about the Pitt Rivers Museum after the repatriation initiative started. He stressed the KU’s belief in the importance of the process and emphasized the need for respectful handling of all artifacts, including human remains and cultural artifacts.
The vice president also expressed his dismay that a Konyak heritage handmade gun he had donated to the Kohima State Museum went missing and cannot be traced till date. He urged the community and state organs to respect the repatriation process and noted that such unfortunate incidents should not happen with any artifacts repatriated to the Naga homeland.