The Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford University has announced plans to repatriate 39 human remains collected during the British colonial era in what is now India and Myanmar. These remains are part of a larger collection of Naga artifacts held by the institution, which is recognized for housing one of the most significant ethnographic collections of Naga heritage globally.

The decision comes after the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), an organization representing the Naga people, formally requested the return of the remains. University officials confirmed that the restitution request has been approved, marking a significant step in the ongoing process of addressing colonial-era acquisitions. The museum has begun the logistical preparations necessary to facilitate the transfer of these remains back to their ancestral communities.

While the museum has acknowledged the request and the approval process, the timeline for the physical return of the remains remains subject to further coordination between the university and the FNR. This move is part of a broader trend among Western institutions to re-evaluate the provenance of items and remains acquired during periods of imperial expansion. The repatriation is intended to honor the cultural and spiritual significance of the remains to the Naga people, who have long sought the return of their ancestors' remains to their rightful home.