Menokhono Sakhrie
Mumbai
Twitter and Facebook is flooded with tweets and posts from the so called ‘animal lovers.’ Then, campaigning, now, celebrating –for the dog meat ban. There has been many –both from within the Naga society and outside –both in state public media and as well as national media, expressing their views on the same. Interestingly one latest trendy claim among Nagas is, ‘I do not eat dog meat.’
First, let’s face the fact, Nagas do consume dog meat as food, and that’s our custom. But that custom surely cannot be translated as ‘all Nagas eat dog meat.’ There is a difference in that. Second, our Naga history also tells us, dogs were hunters’ best companions. I will substantiate my statement with a case: Khonoma village has a story of its foundation, how the village was established: A hunter lost his faithful dog – knowing that the duty of a master is to take care and protect –thus he and his friends went searching for the dog everywhere, and they found the dog where Khonoma village today resides. When the hunter found his dog, he also found the beautiful place with its fertile land, and on the same land, built he and his friends Khonoma village. If anything, Khonoma village is a place where our forefather, the hunter, was reunited with his faithful dog. Today, many Nagas are very easily swayed by the emotion of new cultures that come our way. We very easily, and conveniently, discard our past. This, however, is not to say our culture and tradition is sacrosanct.
Political scientist, C Sathyamala rightly observes: vegetarianism, or what we understand as the mainstream food-culture has often been used as a tool to imply‘themselves’ as more ‘modern’ or ‘civilised’ than others. The same has also been highlighted by a few Nagas scholars in the light of the recent dog meat ban, in national media. Yet, I still will pose: Are we Nagas in a race to be called ‘civilised,’ or to be ‘accepted,’ on the pretext of someone else’s moral compass? To say nothing of the already flawed and simplistic argument implying an individual who eats dog meat do not love dogs. Eating dog meat has nothing to do with one’s love for dogs –this implies to any meat as well. But, what’s worse is the implication that dog meat-eaters are ‘barbaric’ or ‘uncivilised,’ the very tool of the so-called ‘civilised’ individuals to subjugate the rest, and which many Nagas are succumbing to.
Irrespective of whether one wants dog meat to be banned in Nagaland or not (which of course if our choice and should come from within), statements like the one made by Maneka Gandhi which is a blatant insult to the Naga society needs to be called out, and refuted. “All the dogs are now being brought in from outside the state as Nagaland has eaten all its own dogs.” Should we just swallow this grossly inaccurate and racist statement? The tone of the statement (and many others in the mainland), is nothing less than revilement.
We surely cannot stop anyone from expressing their views on any subject. But, we can surely (and we need to) counter affront treatments regularly thrown to us. But readers should not be easily persuaded by everything a person say without situating the arguments.Any statement should be supported with data from thorough research. Taking this current case, time and space must be given for public discourse and debate.A series of research needs to be conducted and deliberated thoroughly to understand the modalities of the trade, merits and demerits of the trade with respect to the local economy and social contexts and so forth.As per reports and common sense, it forms the livelihood sources of many households while there are many who support the initiative of the government. In such a situation as an aspiring community, it is imperative that the state government gives time to public debate. Until and unless the ban by the Government of Nagaland is based on such findings, data and understanding, such a sudden but total ban could have adverse impacts on the society despite the good intentions.
Nagas have a long history of being under the ‘colonial gaze’; then subjugated by the British, today we are subjugated by the mainland India –and this does not come only with economic and political cost. We are bearing the consequences of this dependence, in the form of cultural dictation, which we can afford to not comply, if we as a society deem not to. Since Colonial times, we have seen a lot of changes done on our indigenous culture –Are we still going to just say yes to the mainland masters? Let us be vigilant, and take steps with thorough intellectual dialogue; else the day may come when we solely lose our cultural identity.
My high esteem for Nagas always.
The writer is a PhD Scholar, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
