Kuolachalie Seyie
Let us look at the time-tested values of our Naga forefathers who survived turbulent times and united us to become a people and a nation. They were fully clothed with patriotism, utmost courage, commitment, hospitality and integrity. Conscious of their unquestionable political rights, they gave their best and their all to promote Naga brotherhood and unity. As the written records of our modern history reveal, the formation of the Naga Club was a conscious act for bringing all the Naga communities together as a family by asserting their common kinship going back to centuries of extensive migration.
Japan became the richest and strongest nation of the world for its patriotism, commitment and integrity that equipped them with the capacity to give their best in their professions by strictly preserving the values of their forefathers. I met a Japanese Rickshaw puller last year who said “If am good, Japan is good”. I learnt then that almost all Japanese carry their national responsibility on their shoulders by their own choice. As such, Japan is known as “Culture and Peace Capital” of the world. If we also let the invaluable values of the right attitude and mindset of our forefathers come alive in our hearts, Nagaland too can become a Japan. Our attitude/mindset is our free choice within our own hearts. Such fundamental changes are learnt slowly but it should not be too slow. Therefore, we should start to learn with discipline today for the sake of our future.
Rheichalie Pienyu was the first President, Secretary and Treasurer of Naga Club for 24 years, wef Jan. 07, 1918 to 1942. Under his leadership and his fellow Naga trusted pioneers, Kohima Village constructed a double-storey thatch house measuring about 45 ft into 25ft with a plot of land to the Naga Club below Mission Compound Kohima for the use and benefit of all Naga people as a free ‘Guest House’ to promote ‘Naga brotherhood and unity’ and to eradicate ‘Head Hunting Culture’. Naga people from remotest Naga-inhabited regions would come and take shelter and the committed people of Kohima town consisting of all tribes would go there to make friendship with our travelling brothers and sisters by playing carom board, chess, cards, ludo, badminton, reading newspapers, so on.
Once they got acquainted, the travellers would not go to the Naga Club building anymore but rather to the homes of their newly-befriended brothers in the town. As such, when the Naga people of the capital town went to any part of Naga-inhabited regions, they were never treated as strangers because wherever they would go, they would find their brothers and sisters whom they had befriended in the Naga Club guest house in Kohima.
The Presidency of Rheichalie Pienyualong with highly respected other Naga pioneers, such as, Apamo, Resilo, Luzevi, Lengjang, Nikhriehu, Miakra-o, Levi, Nihu, Nishier, Khosa, Gepo, Vipunyu, Goyiepra, Rüzhukhrie, Dikhrie, Zhapuzulie, Zepulie, Katsumo, Nuolhoukielie, fostered brotherhood and unity in a great way, eradicating headhunting practices and established the different Naga communities into a peace-loving people and nation.
The leadership of Rheichalie Pienyu and his fellow Naga pioneers displayed exemplary integrity, steadfastness, and patriotism at a time that demanded truthfulness and courage to demonstrate these qualities of character that build trust to end practices such as headhunting that no longer had the meaning and purpose they originally served.
However, the old Guest House below Mission Compound, Kohima was totally damaged during the WW2. And the present Naga Club building site near the Old Secretariat, opposite Kohima Local Ground was once again allotted by the people of Kohima village to the Naga Club to enable it to continue its services for the benefit of all the Naga people.
The new Naga Club building also would have been used for the same purpose as the old one. However, due to the new and more complicated political situation with the British departing right after the end of World War 2, the same was used as the Naga National Council (NNC) office as NNC is the by-product of the Naga Club. Further, the subsequent developments are in the knowledge of the public as we all know.
It was during Rheichalie’s leadership that the Members of the Naga Club submitted the historic Naga Memorandum to the Simon Commission sent by the British Parliament that came to Kohima also. The first ever document in writing called by some the Magna Carta of Naga National Politics in which the Nagas claimed their right to be left alone to decide their own future as warranted by the facts of their history. It was excellently drafted by Ruzhukhrie Sekhose, a teacher. The Naga declaration of independence on August 14, 1947 simply reaffirmed what they had claimed 18 years earlier.
The Naga Club was formed by some educated Govt servants serving in the DC’s Office, Kohima, on 7 Jan. 1918 under the Presidency of Rheichalie Pienyu, Peshkar. Attempts have been made by elements with vested interests to distort the facts of history by the claim that the Naga Club was formed by the ‘Naga Labor Corps’ raised by the British for service on various battle fronts of World War 1 in Europe. History testifies to the fact that the first batch of Naga Labor Corps returned to Nagaland only in June 1918 and the Naga Club had already existed by then. While the Naga Labor Corps could have also contributed from their experiences toward the Memorandum to the Simon Commission, since two of them serving as Dubashis in the DC’s Court were also signatories of the Simon Commission along with Dr Khosa Angami, who was a resident of Kohima Town.
However it would be a distortion of history by anyone to state that the Naga Labor Corps on their return from abroad after serving in the WW1, formed the Naga Club or that the Naga Club was their brainchild. Having stated thus, the Naga Club has no intent to glorify one or vilify the other, but it is deeply concerned that the facts of history must be rightfully narrated for posterity so that we do not confuse the upcoming generations.
Though fully conscious of our limitations, with all due humility, today’s defenders of the historical facts of the Nagas, Naga Club have firmly maintained that the original understanding of what actually happened should prevail, believing that the Nagas will want that for their history.
Presidential address by Kuolachalie Seyie, President, Naga Club during the Naga Club Foundation Day, hosted by Lotha Hoho, Wokha, on January 7.
