Controversial Auction of Naga Human Skull Halted Amid Protests

A UK auction house withdrew a Naga human skull from sale after backlash from India's Nagaland over its cultural insensitivity. The lot, linked to 19th-century Belgian architect Francois Coppens, faced protests led by Nagaland's Chief Minister. Critics argued the sale violated indigenous rights, prompting the auction house to pull the item.

A UK auction house has pulled a Naga human skull from its online live auction scheduled for Wednesday after uproar erupted in India. The decision followed significant backlash from Nagaland, where the sale was deemed culturally offensive.

The Swan auction house in Oxfordshire had listed the skull as part of 'The Curious Collector Sale, Antiquarian Books, Manuscripts & Paintings'. The item, a 19th-century Horned Naga Human Skull from the Naga Tribe, faced opposition from Nagaland's Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, who petitioned India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to halt the sale.

Laura Van Broekhoven, director of the Pitt Rivers Museum, relieved the house finally withdrew the skull from the auction, stressing the importance of respecting indigenous cultures. She emphasized the unethical nature of selling ancestral remains without community consent, pointing out colonial-era practices as the source of such present-day issues.

(With inputs from agencies.)