Preparatory work for the burial of 39 Naga ancestral human remains being repatriated from the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, formally commenced at Naga Solidarity Park in Kohima on Saturday.
The Naga Solidarity Park Management Committee has allocated a designated site within the park for the proposed burial, following requests from the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) and Naga tribal Hohos.
A short prayer service was held at the park on the morning of November 7 to mark the commencement of the work, following which site clearance and ground preparation were formally launched.
In a press statement, committee convenor Vipopal Kintso said the FNR and tribal Hohos had approached the committee on October 19 and 30, seeking the allocation of a suitable site within the park.
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Following deliberations and consultations with concerned stakeholders, the committee formally designated the site for the burial, he said.
The committee said the initiative was envisioned as more than an act of repatriation, expressing hope that the homecoming of the ancestors would become a moment of healing, reconciliation and renewed belonging among the Naga people.
It said the burial at the symbolic location was intended to strengthen Naga unity, reaffirm collective identity and foster a sense of oneness beyond tribal and other divisions.
Representatives of the Angami Public Organization, Kohima Village Council, Angami Students’ Union, Kohima Village Students’ Union, Northern Angami Students’ Union, Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights, Naga Students’ Federation, the FNR Local Arrangement Committee and an architect from Zynorique Initiatives attended the prayer service.
The committee acknowledged the cooperation of the stakeholders and reiterated that Naga Solidarity Park belonged, in spirit and purpose, to the Naga people.
The University of Oxford Council approved the return of 39 Naga ancestral human remains from the Pitt Rivers Museum on July 13, 2026. The museum has been working with Naga representatives to complete arrangements for their return following a process initiated in 2020.
