Kohima, Sept. 6 -- The University of Oxford Council has approved the repatriation of 39 Naga ancestral human remains held at the Pitt Rivers Museum (PRM) in the UK, marking a major step towards returning remains taken during the colonial era to their homeland.

The repatriation, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year, would bring closure to an initiative undertaken jointly by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) and its Recover Restore and Decolonise (RRaD), along with Naga tribe bodies.

In a letter to FNR convener Wati Aier, PRM director Laura Van Broekhoven conveyed that the University's Council had on July 13 formally agreed to return 39 human remains while declining the repatriation of one set as it does not hav...