A UK auction house has removed the ‘Naga Human Skull’ from its listings for a live online sale on Wednesday due to widespread protests from Indians advocating for its return home, news agency PTI reported. Several angry Indian politicians, activists, and academics have called for the return of the 200-year-old skull, which was listed for auction in Britain, the former colonial ruler, along with at least 25 other remains.
The Swan auction house in Tetsworth, Oxfordshire, had included a variety of skulls and other artefacts from around the world as part of ‘The Curious Collector Sale, Antiquarian Books, Manuscripts & Paintings.’
While the skulls were withdrawn from sale late Tuesday in response to the backlash, Nagaland chief minister has reiterated the demand for their return. The Naga skull, which features attached animal horns, was described as particularly appealing to collectors interested in anthropology and tribal cultures. The opening bid was set at GBP (Great Britain Pound) 2,100 (about ₹23 lakh), with an estimated final price of up to GBP 4,000 (around ₹43 lakh).
The auctioneers have not yet provided an immediate response.
Nagaland CM led seeks intervention of external affairs ministry
The ‘19th Century Horned Naga Human Skull, Naga Tribe’ was listed as Lot No. 64 and triggered protests in Nagaland, led by chief minister Neiphiu Rio, who requested External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to intervene and halt the sale.
Rio said, “The news of the proposed auction of Naga human remains in the UK has been received by all sections in a negative manner as it is a highly emotional and sacred issue for our people. It has been a traditional custom of our people to give the highest respect and honour for the remains of the demised.”
He urged the minister to coordinate with the High Commission of India in London to take action to stop the auction after the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) expressed concerns.
Skull’s history traces back to 19th-century Belgian architect
The skull’s history traces back to Francois Coppens, a 19th-century Belgian architect. The FNR argued that the auction of the human remains violates Article 15 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which states: “Indigenous Peoples have a right to the dignity and diversity of their cultures, traditions, histories and aspirations which shall be appropriately reflected in education and public information.”
The FNR directly contacted the auction house to condemn the sale and called for the skull’s repatriation to Nagaland. The organisation is also in discussions with the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford regarding artefacts in its collection held by various Indigenous groups worldwide.
Laura Van Broekhoven, the director of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum—which houses the largest collection of Naga artefacts worldwide—stated that selling such items was “completely unethical.”
Wati Aier, a Baptist priest and leader of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation peace group, called on London to repatriate all the skulls to their ancestral territories.
“Throughout the period of British rule, the Naga people were defined as ‘savages’ and ‘headhunters’, which are insulting tropes that continue to be perpetuated today,” he told AFP. “These human remains symbolise the violence that the British colonial power unleashed on the Nagas.”
(With inputs from AFP, PTI)
