K.Ritse
Pfutsero Town
Nagas as an indigenous and an ethnic group of race is very insignificant in this vast world of humanity. Like it or not Nagas are badly divided into many compartmental administrative set ups between the two main countries MYMMAR and BIG INDIA, the largest democratic country in the world. In the union territory of vast India, Nagas are again badly divided and partially siphoned it land state and the population to neighboring states other than Nagaland State such as Manipur Nagas, Assam Nagas and Arunachal Naga. The communication gape and other life affinities are cut off from long before but still the common interest as a small race never dies down. Year by year with the advancement of human civilization and tracing back its originality Nagas irrespective of various locations, we all feel for each other and the mind set of Nagas inclusiveness is grown from strength to strength, year by year. This is one of the wonder Nagas past leader saw the seed in the mind of all Nagas. When think of this tiny race, very insignificant Nagas in the eye of the world population having multiple races in the Global population, Nagas are one of the rarest races still preserving our identity as Nagas. Some said this as God’s plan as others takes it as divide and rule policy applied by the Great Britain during their colonial rule in India. Still than the Nagas fighting for our right of inseparable Nagas race is too great that the younger generation irrespective of different tribes, different dialectical group and other man made division and categories group. For the convenience of their own respective administrative and control of this race the fabric of Nagas oneness and togetherness is still very much alive and stick to it in spite of surmountable obstruction and human made blockage. This is one of the wonder ever practice among the Nagas across the length and breadth of various countries and segments of the society. The same feeling prevailed where the Nagas live in for persuasion of their own livelihood or profession. Is it this God’s Plan or man-made disaster to the Nagas as a punishment? This question of cursing and blessing can be virtually answered in due course of time by the individual belief and faith. The vision person for the greater Nagas society will have positive mind set to face the consequence for a batter, greater and broader society, because of his/her belief/faith and carry the day to day burden easily without any complaint. Those who have such mind set are the happiest person in the society because they face the reality of life and take each and every problem for a batter society of unity to all fellow Nagas is the need of the hour. Embracing each other and reaching out our hand to one another in our own Naga style of God’s gifted harmony and peaceful existence is the answer of Naga Society.
The various school of thoughts challenging each other and the Government is also can not last long unless we come together and touch one another in the true spirit of oneness and together. The struggle for supremacy will exist in the society. But we must have mercy on the down trodden people and unprivileged section of people in the far remote rural areas. Reach out our plans to include such deprived fellow friends around us. That is the real meaning of co-existed life in the world. Let us not take undue advantage of such innocent and ignorant citizen of fellow Nagas. The power monger leaders and the intellectual person who are in the chairs of privilege must think twice before the ending of our prime stage of life.
Human being are a social animals and prompted to live in group, but mankind is selfish in nature and the urge for a bigger group to dominate other group as their subjects is also a nature phenomena of mankind. The line between the social being and selfish in nature is becoming wider and wider just because of the advancement of the society in 21st century. The same human tendency whether like it or not is the most pertinent question in the fast developing Naga society. The dominant factor issue in the present Naga society is spear heading under the gist of tribalism, elite mentality and the downtrodden section of society fighting for our legal rights and equality. The equality in the sense of sex and background is something which cannot compromise unless the intervention of our almighty God. Such situation of societal restlessness of the Naga society is too great that we all want to change our stand point at one struck as a magic. The Naga don’t want to have passion and wait for the right time to hit the point at the appropriate time frame. The ability and capacity has no limit to strike at any time without knowing the side effect. Because as a individual we all want to make use of prime stage of time to hit the issue with our utmost strength and get the best result when the situation is favored on one side. By doing so at time we regard the person who opposed our stand point as the worst enemies and slashed the dirty mud to them to the extent of condemnation and elimination. This is the worst battle fighting among the Naga society. Even at the worst event of playing social game from survival of Naga society, there is one common unabated interest of Nagas as a whole. The fabrics of bigger unity of Naga society is still very much alive when watch all the turmoil of Naga society. All Naga agreed to spell out AMEN when the question Naga inclusive topic is throne to all section of Naga population. The drive of Naga society into one unique entity is the topic which is inseparable and unalienable as much as sovereignty as defined by Aristotle the great philosopher of nineteenth century.
The history of Naga tells us that Nagas were straight forward, generous, hospitability and even had genuine concern for the enemy too even during the head hunting period. The republic village happen to send its diplomat to the enemy’s villager for passing the be-headed head of that village with true spirit of trust and reliability on each other village. It was a curse to marry his/her own villagers in the past Naga society, Inter-marriage practice were the past culture of Naga society and this practice knitted the whole neighboring village dependant on each other in marriage life and built the blood relationship between village and village society. Therefore there were no real enemy or friends in the Naga society, but purely depended upon the husband and Wife for paving a relationship between two villages of blood relationship villages. For this reason these was no caste or class barrier in Naga society. Till now when traced back the blood relationship of both side of father and mother, the Nagas were still very near and dear to each other. This is also one of the reasons why Nagas are still believed in bigger unity of all ethnic Nagas.
The village messengers in the case of Chakhesang Naga Community were very peculiar in time of head hunting period. Sending out a messenger to far flunk village to village was assigned to spread the good will mission spreading the peace full co-existence and to concern for each others in all thick and thin situations. The messenger of the village/ community when sent out for a mission, the village priest (Mewo) took all responsibility for his safety and performed all rituals besides observance of “Total Fast” till the messenger returned from his trip; which prolong for more than a month together tell that period the priest (Mewo) was allowed to take only the drinking pure water. When the priest (Mewo) after prolonged fast for days together could not able to sustain life. To that extent the village leaders surrounded him and encouraged the priest to be strong enough to meet the messenger alive. When the priest (Mewo) was physically weak to drink unadulterated pure water, the village elders sometime cheated him that the messenger was coming at the village gate and let the priest bear the pain by giving another hope of survival for the village and swallowed the water. That was the real Naga culture of living together for each other in time of crucial period of life and death. Sacrificing One individual’s life for the betterment of the village (community) in spreading the message of good will and Co-existence of all Naga villages was the most- hard earned legacy of the Naga society. The village or Community messenger’s mission was to spread, the timely life existence with the change of seasons and time. There is time for war of head hunting, time for cultivation and time for festivities and merry making of the village youths. The messenger advocated such time to all neighboring villages and treaties were made. In case of breaking the treaty a curse was pronounced to each and every village to be black and dry as the firewood charcoal, thin and lean as dry frog etc. This was how the Naga society was controlled and administered under the same and equal law of the land. Therefore the unity fabrics of Naga society was well knitted together under the same umbrella.
In return of the messenger’s good gesture and concerned for humanity the villagers of the visited villages gave a gift of their most valuable items which were the lightest for the messenger to carry to his home village. It could be ornaments, agriculture seeds or anything that village graded as the highest value. After a collection of all villages gift the visited villagers assisted the messenger in carrying the gifts to his village. The messenger village received the gifts as a reward of the whole village and it was a common property of the whole village. Only after receiving the big junk of gifts the messenger village celebrated and distributed to the needy villagers who were needed the most.
Killing the messengers by mistake or with bad intention in the worst curse and the result was famine and bad epidemic disease to wipe out the whole village population. So the Naga society was afraid of killing the messengers. The dress of identity of the messenger was well known to all village warriors. So the messengers were mostly honoured and received with great respects and paid allegiance to such messengers. Tracing the legacy of Naga society, uniting the same feather ethnic groups of Naga Society far and near mankind by the village messenger on his bare footed journey as the sole uniting factor of Naga Society.
Unlike other ethnic group of mankind Naga even after the era of Christianity the practice ;of searching each other blood related group is very much importance when festivals and great functions which are observe in the village or town level. Tracing the blood affinity group in tribal level down to village and individual levels paid utmost importance in Naga Society when even Christianity feast, wedding ceremonies and inter village treaties etc. the blooded relative dwelling in far and near ones never missed to invite each other.
During head hunting turmoil period of village who ever contributed for village defence and village settlement were vividly remembered by one and all. The annexation and controlled of the small villages by the bigger and stronger village by way of levying various taxes was not there. Those who were weak and small in the Naga Society were protected by the strong and bigger village without any hesitation for equal co-existence. Therefore this unique oneness and togetherness still prevailing in the Naga Society and it will never fade away till the existence of humanity.
