(From previous issue)
V. Tribalism in Nagaland.
The Naga Tribes in the early days practiced ‘their historical traditions of head hunting’; that has now become history, but the Naga never practiced TRIBALISM. Prior to the attainment of the Nagaland State, there was no Tribalism in Naga Tribes. Neither did our parents nor the people in the Village or the people in work places or in the festivals, at any time, anywhere talked any thing about Tribalism in the Naga Society. Tribalism came to the Naga only after the State was formed in 1st December 1963.
The Writer enquired from his only surviving sister of 92 yrs old and a few other surviving descendants of first Naga Christian Converts whether they had heard talk of Tribalism in the family, from the Parents or people talking with them in the house about Tribalism in the Naga. She told she never heard of any talk of Tribalism in the house or in the public or in the Church when she was young!
The Naga older than second WWII, Nagaland State (1963) and still surviving [2023] -LanutoyRetd First Chief Engineer, ChubatoshiRetd Chief Minister, Retd Governor (Odisha, Goa, Maharashtra & Gujarat), TemsükabaRetd Commissioner, TakuyabaRetd Minister, Dr. LM Murry Retd Principal Director Health Services, Kajenkaba the only surviving 1st Batch MLA Nagaland, -all more than 93 yrs old, said they never heard in their childhood of people say Tribalism was practiced in the Naga.
Today, the youths, some Elites and some elected Representatives blame the Naga with Tribalism.
The reason the young generation today say of Tribalism in the Naga, is because they experienced it in their growing modern life today, in the actions of the Politicians, in the actions of people of Power and in the higher echelons of Naga society today. What the young generation complains of in the Naga today may not be false, because Tribalism was born only after the formation of the State in 1963 in God’s Garden of Nagaland when the politicians, the powerful and Man with riches more than their known sources of income came to occupy high positions and positions of Power.
Whatever one may have done wrongly in the Past, no one can turn the History of a people back, and only way one can improve is to refrain from doing the wrongs in the future. Human beings improve and progress by not doing Past wrongs.
If the Naga is to grow into an honourable trustworthy People, we must come to our senses like the Lost Son in the Gospel and start a new life.
The Naga Society must, all of us, practice to aim to have consensus Vision to correct our defects; we all, from the top Echelons of Power down to the Shop keeper, the Salesman, the Taxi Driver, the Police, the Traffic Police, pedestrians in the Street, must decide to develop a Vision of honest courage to openly and even brutally discuss and uproot the defects in us ourselves.
Frankly and honestly, most Nagas are nice and friendly, easy to laugh and uncomplicated; Thank God, many non-Naga say so. The Naga is a united people; political differences do not really make a disunited people if they are forthrightly courageous and friendly.
The unfortunate part is that Man has not yet developed mechanism in free Democracy to correct the wrongs of the powerful in the worldly kingdom.
Politics is at best the united Power of the many, for the good of all. However, Political power concentrated in one person corrupts man, the more politics the worst; and absolute Power corrupts man absolutely. Every Naga should abjure people who love Power, politics or not!
The Political Parties tend to use political Power for Personal or Sectarian or Party Dynasty creation, and misuse legal power illegally. This creates Enmity, Disunity and divisive animosity in the Society.
The Naga Unity can be made stronger, vigorous as in former days by traditional, customary sensible Liberty, Justice and Equality at every level of Life; this is Principle of NAGA DEMOCRACY. The Naga Democracy does not differentiate by Castes; it is Justice, Fair, Equality and Equity.
In the Westminster Democracy; Power is automatically appropriated, used and misused by the few elected, selected, in a manipulatable Voting System that favours majority of the successful Group and sideline the Minority.
A seed of animosity in the Naga society has germinated from the State Government of Nagaland by permitting establishment of Village without sufficiently vetted consideration of the Traditional Customary Jurisdiction of the Tribe.
Each Tribe of Nagaland has the final traditional, customary apex jurisdiction over the land in its Territory; though practically, it is the Clan, the Family and the individual if the land is purchased, that owns the land.
The Government does not own land. But the Government, during the British Administration and after the formation of the State of Nagaland, often behaved as if it owns the Land if it were for the used or to be used for the Welfare and Development purposes of the District or the State.
Thus after the formation of the State, the uneducated Villagers ignorantly and the uncomplaining educated obedience naively often accepted the behaviour of the powerful Government.
Consequently, the Government appeared to have arrogated the Power of Permission or Rejection for the establishment of a Village superseding the Tribal Jurisdiction.
Such action has resulted in difficulties rising between the land-owning traditional Indigenous Community and the Government Permitted Community of the Naga Tribes.
The Government needs to give importance and deeper understanding of the TRADITIONAL CUSTOMARY Practices for the establishment of Villages in a particular Tribal Area, so that Naga Unity becomes conducive.
Brutally speaking: The present land disputes between the Zeliang Villages and the Sümi Villages in the Peren and Dimapur Districts has been seeded by the Government of Nagaland under the affect of the hegemony of the barrel of the Gun in permitting Villages when Government had no land at its disposal. A classic case is the hasty recognition of the Rongmei Tribe from Manipur as the Indigenous Tribe of Nagaland by the Government.
The hasty operation of Nagaland Special, Development Zone not vetted by the Tribe may invite Inter-tribe difficulties.
The Naga as a person is usually wary of injuring the feelings of others, but the time and situation have come today to speak out boldly, and even brutally honest in search for the hope of common good.
Firstly, the formation of the State of Nagaland, and the Revolutionary Army Government of Nagaland, activated the Spirit of political divisions in the Naga.
Secondly, Not long after, the Army Revolutionary Government of Nagaland betraying their comrades over to the Indian Army; instantly broke the history of Naga political Unity.
Thirdly, the formation of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland [NSCN], in 1980 allegedly to nullify the Shillong Accord broke the Naga political unity.
The original monolithic NNC that Z. Phizo led still exists in silence and in non-violent Ceasefire with GoI under his daughter Adinno as the President, ‘un-surrendered, unchanged, refusing rehabilitation from GoI and in its uncompromising principles of Naga Polity outside the NNPG.
Most of the Naga National Cadres of Nagaland surrendered Tribe by Tribe to the Government of India except Two; the surrendered, the rehabilitated and the captured by Indian Armed forces, fructified the NNC into:
i. NNC [Non-Accordist],
ii NNC [Parent Body Body],
iii. NNC [headed by Shingya],
iv. NNC [headed by a Yimchungür Leader], and other unnumbered Political groups were formed.
In all, the old NNC Members themselves broke the NNC into its so-called Factions.
In Cease Fire and in Political Talk with the Government of India; the original NSCN of 1980 also broke into:
vi. NSCN (Muivah) and
vii. NSCN [Khaplang] and each broke up into:
viii. NSCN (Issac-Muivah), and
ix. NSCN (Revolution)
“What will unite the Naga?”
- Sans ‘Integration and Naga Flag’: The NNPG ultimately may unite and become SPP [State Political Party] and participate in the Elections of the States.
[It is impossible for the GoI to treat each of the NNPG with separate Accord provisions. There can be only one and the same Political Provisions for all]. - The Naga must vow and reject violent politics, mutually respect and honour one another in everything they do.
Without that, there is no Naga Unity!
(Concluded.)
Thepfulhouvi Solo