The Naga tribe hoho leaders made the Naga Oxford Declaration on Repatriation on June 13 during a public session held at the Lecture Theatre of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

The declaration expressed gratitude to Naga ancestors while committing to bring them back to their homelands from where they were once taken.

“We are grateful to our ancestors for being a testament and silently proclaiming the stories of our people,” the leaders stated.

“We are sorry that it has taken us several decades, but we are here now to reclaim and return you to the homelands from where you were taken. We are committed to the process of your return from museums.”

The declaration recognized the repatriation process as a journey toward healing and wholeness for the Naga people, undertaken with mutual respect, consensus, and a united voice.

“As Nagas, we do so in a united voice, with mutual respect and consensus and to offer you a dignified rest, establishing a Naga monument of healing and peace for all generations, symbolising the oneness of the Nagas.”

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“We extend our solidarity to fellow Indigenous Peoples across the world who seek to undertake a similar journey of repatriation in the hope of bringing decolonisation, justice, and peace—not just for ourselves, but for humanity,” the Declaration read.

The Declaration was jointly signed by Thejao Vihienuo, president, Angami Public Organization; Kumsang Bendangtoshi, Presidential Council Member, Tongror Luden Ao Senden; Talamong Khiamniungan, executive chairman, Khiamniungan Tribal Council; A Peihwang Wangsa, representative of Konyak Union; Ngongba Tange Thamlong Phom, vice president, Phom Peoples’s Council; Dr Vihuto Asumi, president, Sumi Hoho; Jollyson Ronra Shimray, vice president, Tangkhul Naga Long; and Dr P Ngullie, on behalf of Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR).