Dimapur, September 22 (MExN): The Naga National Council (NNC) has stated that the repatriation of Naga human remains and artifacts from the Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford University, currently being facilitated by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) under the initiative ‘Recover, Restore and Decolonize’ (RRaD), is a national and political issue that can only be handled by the Naga national government.
A statement issued by Acüyi Vadeo, Joint Secretary of the NNC noted that while the enthusiasm of the FNR’s RRaD is “understandable,” repatriation “is a national issue” and “political in nature” as “Nagaland became an independent nation by right of declaration.” The NNC recalled that its declaration of independence took place “before the British Crown had officially transferred powers to India and Burma (now Myanmar).” It asserted that the NNC was “a mandated national institution” and that with the independence declaration, “the colonial subjects became immaterial to the Nagas.”
“Universally, a nation has an established government to exercise its own sovereign powers. Thus, the NNC too established the national government called the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN). The Naga national government is the only competent authority to handle the repatriation issue,” the statement said.
The NNC termed the removal of Naga human remains and artifacts by the British Emperor as “a colonial loot and a colonial sin that could not be cleansed/erased without political action/s.” It maintained that “until the government of the United Kingdom owns political and moral responsibilities for her act of betrayal and commit to correct the wrong, the time is not ripe for repatriation process.”
It further stated that “the Naga national government had not authorized any private agency to handle this national issue,” questioning “who authorized the FNR to play the role of a facilitator” and “to which authority are they answerable and accountable.” The statement asked if the FNR is “prepared to take responsibility for political ramifications” and cautioned that “without understanding the intricacies attached to our historical and political rights, it is unwise to rush for repatriation process unilaterally.” It added that any private agency “meddling in national issue without the sanctioning authority of the national government becomes ultra vires.”
On decolonization, the NNC stated that “history was unambiguous that the Nagas had no written treaty with the British out of conquer or defeat in the battle” and that “politically, the Nagas were not subjugated people.” It maintained that “the story of colonization was a one-sided version” and that “to the Nagas, it is still a subject that is open to contest.”
The statement further said that attempts to colonize the Naga country “were brutal” and involved “dehumanizing acts.” “Colonization and dehumanization were inter-linked. They could not be delinked,” it said, adding that “even if the Nagas accept the claims of colonization as the reality, the issue of her dehumanizing acts remains.” It argued that “humanization could not be a demand. It should be natural and spontaneous” and that “even if decolonization is politically expedient, it cannot escape reparation.” According to the NNC, “repatriation is not a mere subject of history or anthropology” and “the idea of decolonization through the process of repatriation is a subject premature to conclude.”
The process of repatriation or for that matter, the so-called decolonization cannot conclude without the involvement of the national government, it stated and asked the FNR to exercise discretion and restrain from “over-enthusiasm.”
