A 14-member delegation from Recover, Restore and Decolonise (RRaD) team of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) participated in a weeklong study tour organised by the University of Melbourne starting from September 1, 2023.
In a press release, FNR informed that the delegation travelled to Melbourne, Australia, for a learning exchange and dialogue series with Indigenous researchers and leaders at the University of Melbourne. FNR and RRaD members focused on themes of healing, peace, justice, and reconciliation.
Since 2021, the FNR has been facilitating dialogues and raising awareness among various Naga communities and cultural groups about the possibility of repatriating Naga ancestral remains from the Pitt Rivers Museum (PRM) at Oxford University to the Naga homeland.
The delegation interacted with their Australian counterparts – first Nations scholars who were involved in processes of repatriation, reconciliation, and healing. The weeklong meetings intersected with the areas of decolonization and the co-creation of indigenous knowledge on heritage, justice, and repatriation. The delegation held dialogue with leading first nations academics and community-based practitioners, of note Prof. Marcia Langton, Associate Provost and Prof. Catherine Chamberlain, Professor of Indigenous Health.
They were joined by FNR members Dr. P. Ngully and Dr. Rev. Ellen Jamir for a panel discussion entitled ‘Repatriation as a Path to Healing: An Indigenous Dialogue’, chaired by RRaD member and Associate Professor Dr. Dolly Kikon.
FNR and RRaD team also met with Professor Aaron Coen, director of the Indigenous Knowledge Institute and his team, for a dialogue on indigenous cultural values and the importance of adopting Indigenous pedagogy in education and research initiatives. FNR member Dr. Aküm Longchari also delivered a lecture on peace and healing.
The Australia India Institute (AII) also invited the FNR and RRaD delegation for a dialogue.
Dr. Arkotong Longkumer, member of RRaD and Senior Lecturer at Edinburgh University joined Lisa Singh, CEO of the Australia India Institute for a podcast on the Naga Repatriation Process.
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