Nagaland CM Seeks Jaishankar's Intervention To Stop Auction Of Naga Human Skull In UK

KOHIMA: Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has sought the intervention of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to stop the auction of a Naga human skull at Tetsworth, Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom on October 9.

A ‘19th century horned Naga skull’ valued at £3,500-4,500 had been listed as one of the items on sale by prominent auction house Swan Fine Art.

This did not sit down well with the Naga population who denounced this move by calling it “dehumanising” and “continued colonial violence.”

Earlier, the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), an organisation comprising Church leaders and civil society representatives wrote to the Nagaland CM about the issue on Monday.

This prompted CM Rio to draft a letter to the External Affairs Minister on Tuesday, where he mentioned that the proposed auction was criticized by all sections of society in Nagaland “as it is a highly emotional and sacred issue for our people”.

“You will agree that the human remains of any deceased person belongs to those people and their land. Moreover, the auctioning of human remains deeply hurts the sentiments of the people, is an act of dehumanisation, and is considered as continued colonial violence upon our people,” Rio wrote.

He urged the MEA to raise this issue in the Indian High Commission in the UK and ensure that the auctioning is halted.

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