U A Shimray
Not long ago, the Naga Women’s Union, Manipur (NWUM) celebrated its Decade Anniversary at Chandel district. The anniversary theme is “Women and Peace”. In today’s new world order, women play crucial role in reconstructing the social system based on human value and participation. The traditional patriarchal social setting dictate women to bend little lower and male to rise their head higher. The concept inevitably constructs the attitude of “weaker section” and “stronger section”, “decision-making” men and “obeying” women. Also, terminate “unwanted fetus” and rare only the “masculine population”. So far, many people fail to understand the women systematic passionate intervention in the society. Women perspectives are often undermined in the claw of patriarchal mindset. Such intervention also needs to translate it into realism, not just a transiting phrase of addressing as “House-wife” to “Home-maker”.
Our Home, Our Mother
The Holy Bible says, “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge the grooms are filled with a rare and beautiful treasures” (Proverbs, 12:3). Home is the happiest place on earth. Everlasting phrase always hang “Home Sweet Home” in the doorstep. Home is also the heart of society. In fact the moral strength of the society is directly determined by the value state of the family. Contemporary social scientists have regarded the family as the cornerstone of society. In Naga society, family is not only the social, cultural and religious unit but also the foundation of Naga value system and discipline.
Indeed, in Naga family, woman who is also a mother is the main backbone of the whole domestic affairs. I vividly remember my mother putting me in the Aluminum tub and bathing me. She cleans my whole tiny naked body from head to toe. She said, “God hates children who are dirty. He loves those who obey their parents”. Since my childhood days, I am closer to my mother than my father. I always approach my mother first whenever I need new clothes, new exercise book and pencil even to tie my shoelace or button my shirt. I first inform my mother when I get involved in the fight with my friends before I get good spank from my father. For problem, I go to mother. She listened. This is one instance in the society of the importance of a mother and women in home making. Nurturing one home is not an easy job but it involves tremendous wisdom, passion and compassion.
Naga society traditionally follows patriarchal system and father is the head of the household. However, mother has no lesser role to play in the family. She occupies an important place in the society. The traditions “expect” women be obedient and humble; also expect to perform the role of wife, mother, child bearer, food producer and household manager. Mother is the first to rise before the crack of dawn and start a day’s works like looking after children, caring the sick, cooking, store food, feed domestic animals, fetch water, cleaning and washing.
I believe Nagas’ patriarchal norm does not reflect the notion of “birth of a male child being auspicious, man as the bread earner and protector of the society” (Although, the concept of male preferences may vary from individual to individual). The fact is many of the Naga parents prefer their first-born child to be female. In the Naga family, there is a requirement of the eldest child to play certain role, which is vital for the good of the household. The daughter(s) are considered to be more competent, obedient and helpful to their parents in the discharge of duties. On the other hand, boy(s) are generally preferred as the customs and tradition implies that the lineage of a clan and family is through male.
Weaving traditional clothes are one of the important activities. The young girls usually work collectively as ‘cloth workers’ guild in a particular place. In olden days, Morung (dormitory) is the place where such weaving knowledge and skills were imparted to each and every individual. Such essence of collectiveness helps to develop new designs in the shawls. The beautiful Naga shawl is the sole product of the Naga women’s creativity and wisdom.
Her role and contributions in the society are always in sustainable form. This is because mother’s association with the social ethos begins at the family. Through her well maintenance of the family, the Naga society is able to sustain its customs and values. Nevertheless, mother is the first who teaches her children social etiquette and moral conduct in the society. As said, mother performs multi-role as wife, mother, child-bearer and household manager giving enormous tasks. Her life is a juggling act as they try to fit in a range of tasks and responsibilities. Unfortunately, mothers’ “invincible” works are neither acknowledge nor recognised.
Naga Women’s Intervention
In olden days, inter-village head hunting was inevitable circumstances. When men had to wage wars, women took the responsibility of giving provision and supplies for the warriors. There is a belief that certain women possessed a spirit associated with wealth and richness. Women also played a vital role in saving the lives of their men. Women were like an “Ambassador” who would volunteer to act as a mediator between the warring villages. These women enjoyed full diplomatic immunity. Nobody could lay hands on her. She was called the “peace-maker”, the bearer of torch of peace of the Naga inter-village head hunting war. They boldly used to enter the battlefields and intervened in the fighting of the warriors and stopped the fight between the two enemy villages.
Indeed, keeping the essence of home making, we see Naga women playing a crucial role in the present social transition. Since the days of ‘head-hunting’ till now, women’s role in the socio-cultural aspects is immense. Women’s intervention in the socio-cultural sphere is not a new concept in Naga society. Today, we see Naga women doing tremendous work to revitalise the losing customary laws and traditions. Their involvement begins right from their individual capacity as a “lady” of the household. They quietly render great services and fulfilled her duties unostentatiously.
In the midst of rapid changes in Naga social scenario, it is noteworthy to mention that new social elements are creeping into the society. To substantiate, it is worthy to mention a few: drug peddling, smuggling, corruption and political hatred. In fact, in the olden days the prevalence of crimes such as rape, forgery, corruption and others were rare, if not obsolete. But our fast quantum leap of so-called social development has made the Naga people to abandon or lose their certain social values and dignity.
In such a state of confusion, women’s intervention cannot be sidelined. The present Naga women’s organisations not only work hard to revitalise social values but maximise the imposition of value system in the society. There are many examples where the Naga women organisations took the lead in social movements. Several women organisations have emerged right from the village level to form apex Naga women organisation. Today, the apex organisations like Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA), Naga Women’s Union, Manipur (NWUM), etc are spearheading the various Naga women associations. The NMA with their theme “Shed No More Blood” have been actively involved in negotiating and mediating for peace and justice for the Nagas (also in the Naga society). Naga women associations have organised rallies and demonstrations for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Power Act. Today, the NMA and NWUM are actively participating in the on-going peace talks between the Government of India and the Naga insurgents.
As a concluding remark, it shall not be out of place to mention that the Naga women’s role in the Naga society has strong historical, social and political implications. At the same time, women’s intervention should always look at in a positive aspect. Women have more affinity to the socio-cultural and economic activities. Because of such close interaction enable them to develop better sense of consciousness. This unrewarded tradition of Naga women, if encouraged may help to build a better Naga society. Also, sense have self-pride and self-dependence even when the Nagas have become thoroughly “modernised”. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said, “To awaken the people, it is the women who must be awaken. Once she is on the move the family moves, the village moves, the nation moves”.
