Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Caroline Davies

UK auction house cancels ‘disrespectful’ sale of shrunken heads and skulls

Birdseye view of the exhibits in the Pitt Rivers Museum
The sale was criticised by the director of the Pitt Rivers Museum (pictured), which removed similar items from display in 2020 as part of a ‘decolonisation process’. Photograph: David Reed/Alamy

A British auction house has withdrawn from sale human and ancestral remains, including shrunken heads and skulls, from communities across the globe after criticism from native groups and museums.

Among items initially listed were shrunken heads from the Jivaro people of South America, skulls from the Ekoi people of west Africa and a 19th-century horned human skull from the Naga people of India and Myanmar, the BBC reported.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.