Anungba Sanglir
In July 1888 two Ao villages, Mongsenyimti and Longkong, was raided by a combine force of some trans-dikhu villages. The report about this aggression was brought to Dr Clark by some people belonging to the neighbouring villages. They informed Clark that some trans-dikhu villages had jointly massacred the two mentioned villages. So Clark sent the report of the raid to the then DC of the Naga Hills, Mr. Alexander Porteous. This letter was sent through the Molung (Molungyimsen) village council (Putu menden). On the basis of this information Mr. Porteous wrote to the Indian British Government about the need of annexing the Ao country and in August of the same he deployed an army company at Mongsenyimti and established an outpost there. An armed stockade was also built there to take further course of action. The actual reason why the attack on the mentioned villages took place/happened is something which the aggressors alone knew. The fact is that the village of Mongsenyimti was at that time the gateway for the trans-dikhu tribes for trade and commerce. So no one expected the people who had been all the time enjoying the hospitality of Mongsenyimti to attack and antagonize the latter. This incident took place after Clark had been in the Naga hills for sixteen years.
The Ao country was thereby annexed in 1888 with the object of protecting the people from marauding tribes beyond the Dikhu River. The sanction to take over the Ao country was issued in the (British) Government of India letter No.2463 – E dated the 24th December 1888. (Home Department: 1889, “Direct Administration of a tract of Naga territory along the Dikhu as a punitive measure”). The point of interest here is the question as to why the Ao people did not exact revenge for the atrocity committed on them. Was it because the Aos feared the others? This possibly cannot be, because the Ao tribe was a warrior tribe, a people who had learnt to survive through acts of bravery and brute force. The village of Mongsenyimti in particular among the Aos was known for its valour and ability to withstand and counter the threat of its enemy. Then was it because the human loss inflicted by the raids was so huge that the people had no manpower left to retaliate? This also could not had been the case because historical records show that majority of the victims of the raid were women and young children (men were away working in the jhum fields). Therefore if the people had wanted to they could have taken revenge. The way I see it, the real reason as to why the people did not respond in the same coin is because they were not willing to anymore perpetuate the inhuman and barbaric practice of headhunting. There had been a seismic shift in the worldview of the Aos. This was the result of the Gospel and Education Dr. Clark brought to the Aos.
In 1872, Dr. Clark came to the Naga Hills and in 1876 established the first American Baptist Foreign Mission Center beyond British Empire. After establishing this Mission center Clark took to writing and printing books besides planting churches and schools in the Ao villages. He build rapport and established friendship with prominent personalities of various villages. Some of Clark’s good friends were Cheningsangba (Longkum), Jongshinokdang (Ungma), Yudangba (Chungtia), Yimnenchiba (Mopungchukit), and Ponajongshi (Chuchuyimlang). He gave the gospel and encourage the people to leave behind the past and worship and serve the one and the only Living God – the God of the Bible. He preached against the practice of Headhunting and the craze for vain glory of the flesh. He stressed upon the importance of education as the bridge to a prosperous future. He urged the Ao people to observe the seventh day as a day of rest and to keep it holy. He also impressed upon the Ao people to respect the rule of the British and not to confront it. This way the Ao people had been greatly influenced by Christianity and Clark’s liberating message. It slowly but surely led to a change in the value system of the Aos. Dr Clark during the course of his stay in the Ao land had convinced the people to give up not only headhunting as such but also the attitude of revenge – eye for an eye, head for a head – a mindset which had dominated and controlled the people for ages. As a result of Clark’s effort the Aos were aware of the British administrative prowess and its ability to protect the people and territory under its rule. They had also learnt by then that it was better to be on the side of the British than to be on the opposite side. This was the reason why when the attack on Mongsemyimti and Longkong happened the Aos did not respond in a vindictive way but allowed the British government to do whatever it deemed fit. The people had by then realized the futility of engaging in the act of revenge which would lead to further bloodshed. This is the context, the social/cultural predicament during which the invasion of Mongsenyimti and Longkong took place and within which the subsequent developments should be understood. Thus Mongsenyimti was the first headquarter of the British in the Ao country. Mrs. Titterington in her book History of our Baptist Mission in Assam and Japan, Philadelphia A.B. Publication 1889, wrote “in 1888, British flag was raised in Nagaland and the way for proselylization was opened in the Hills”.
