An auction house in Oxfordshire has decided to halt the sale of a horned human skull originating from the Indian state of Nagaland, following a public outcry led by the country’s tribal community.
The skull, described as a “19th-century horned Naga human skull,” was set to be part of a one-day sale by the Swan Fine Art auction house in Tetsworth, Oxfordshire. However, the listing was withdrawn after the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), a group of church leaders and civil society members in Nagaland, condemned the sale as a dehumanising practice that treats Indigenous ancestral remains as objects for collectors.
Nagaland’s chief minister also weighed in on the issue, calling the auction an act of “continued colonial violence” against Indigenous people and urging the Indian government to intervene. The skull was included in an auction titled “The Curious Collector Sale,” alongside various other items such as antiquarian books, paintings, and ceramics, with a guide price of £3,500 to £4,000.
The FNR statement raised concerns about the perpetuation of a racist and colonial depiction of the Naga people through such auctions, highlighting the need for policy changes to prevent the exploitation of human remains for commercial gain.
Dr. Dolly Kikon, a Naga anthropologist, emphasized the importance of implementing legal measures to prevent the sale and exploitation of human remains, calling for an international ban on such practices to ensure respect for Indigenous communities.
Following the backlash, Swan Fine Art also withdrew items involving human remains from Indigenous communities in Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, Congo, and Melawi that were part of the auction house’s collection.
Dr. Kikon’s involvement in the decolonisation process at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford was referenced, where efforts have been made to address the problematic display of human remains, including objects linked to the Naga community. The process of repatriating such items may take several years, reflecting a community-first approach to healing and preservation.
In light of these developments, Nagaland’s chief minister has called for the repatriation of Naga ancestral human remains to be prioritised, emphasising the significance of respecting the rights of Indigenous communities over their ancestral remains.
The auction incident underscores broader global efforts by Indigenous communities to reclaim and repatriate ancestral remains held in institutions and collections worldwide, signifying a crucial step towards acknowledging and rectifying historical injustices.