When a person does something extraordinary or achieves some incredible feats, it attracts instant recognition and appreciation from the society and from people near and far. And the one question that automatically comes to everyone’s mind is “whose child is he or she?” or “To which clan, village or tribe does he or she belong?” And suddenly the people and the society will start to have high regards and respect for his lineage. In the same way, when someone does something awful, the society will have the same questions in their minds. But this time, instead of admiration and appreciation, it will be scorn and disdain for that person. And because of the misdeed of one, the reputation of his whole lineage will be tainted forever. Yes, whatever good deed or bad deed we do, people are going to link our deeds with our lineage. That is how inevitable and intrinsic our ancestry is.
When a person seeks admission to any academic institution or employment in any establishment, the one thing that is mandatory for him to mention is his father’s name, his surname or even citizenship. When someone is of high repute or has great accomplishments, people are interested in his lineage. In the same way even when a person is a notorious criminal or a dirty hapless fellow begging in the street, people are still going to be interested in his lineage. This indicates that people consciously or even subconsciously acknowledge the critical role that our ancestral lineage plays in determining the kind of person we are. And this means that no matter how hard a person tries to run away or disassociate himself from his ancestry, others are still going to link him to his lineage.
Therefore, the sooner one realizes that he can never run away from his ancestry, the better he would be. We can never change the past or our ancestry but the good news is that we can change the present and the future. We can do things today or take decisions today which can alter the itinerary for the people who would come after us because in course of time we would also become the ancestry of our children and grandchildren. And the deeds we do and the way we live our lives may ultimately have far reaching consequences on our descendants. That is the enormous responsibility that has been bestowed on us. It is like holding a key that has the potential to change the course of our lineage for better or for worse.
Our forefathers were well-known as head-hunters. They took pride in the number of heads they severed. In those times, a man’s reputation and status was dependent on the number of human skulls visible outside his house - the more the skulls the greater the honor and the pride. Likewise, in the olden times, in some Naga societies, the men even took pride in the number of women they were able to woo and seduce. And they even had some special signs carved in their outfits to display these achievements. Since these were a way of life for our ancestors, no matter what we do now, outsiders will continue to identify us with these cultures and way of life.
But like all societies and cultures in the world, ours is also an evolving one. Ever since we were found by the outside world, our culture has undergone tremendous transformation owing to the constant exchange of ideas and continuous inflow of new ideas and new revelations. And our exposure to these ideas and revelations has made us wiser, more enlightened and more enriched. And now we no longer see and perceive the world around us in the way our forefathers did. Therefore what was once the story and fate of our forefathers or even us may not necessarily be the story of our descendants because we are setting a precedent and a new standard and they will start at a level which is better and higher.
None can escape his lineage because no matter what, others are still going to link him to his ancestry. But the world has grown richer in experiences, ideas and wisdom. So, many things which were once considered good and noble in the past are no longer considered so. But many still take pride in the past glories of their forefathers. We must remember the past and learn from it but we should not become prisoners of the past. The world has grown and many of its dynamics have changed. And therefore if today we know that something which was considered good in the past is no longer good and noble, it is mere foolishness to still be harping and taking pride in an idea or something which the world has already discarded.
Here, we may cite the example of Germany. Hitler propagated the superiority of the German race and asserted that there should be no intermingling between pure German blood and other bloods especially those of the Jews. This was why he banned marriages between Germans and Jews. This was why he exterminated millions of people on this false belief. It was also to prove the superiority of the German race that he waged wars against nations and people who had not done any harm to him or his people.
But today, modern Germany is everything that Hitler would have hated it to be. Today, modern Germany is tolerant, multi-cultural and does not assert the superiority of its blood anymore. Today’s Germany does not take pride in the oratory skills of Hitler. It does not take pride in the military conquests of Hitler. And it does not take pride in the number of people killed by Hitler. Why? It is because Germany today knows that Hitler was wrong and there is nothing to glorify or take pride in someone or something that is today considered mere madness and pure evil.
Some Nagas today still tend to take pride in the exploits and feats of their great great grandfathers whom they say were great warriors. And while narrating their stories, they speak with great sense of pride, arrogance and self-importance. But today we live in a time and a society which is much ahead, advanced and refined than the times in which our head-hunting ancestors lived. Therefore these so-called feats and accomplishments have become like empty vessels in a time and society which now believes that “right is might” and not vice versa. So, only fools who have not grown will still continue to hold on to these.
Today the enlightened world believes that there would be no blessing or anointing on anything that is built over the shedding of blood. But it is also true that there are still people who take pride in things that were built over bloodshed. They profess to be Christians but they go around harping that their forefathers killed so and so or chased away so and so from that hillock, valley or mountain and as such they are now the rightful owners of those areas and everything in it. Of course, if their ancestors had occupied those areas for generations, they are still the rightful owners today. But they do themselves a disservice and an impediment when they go around boasting on some past achievements which our society no longer considers worthy, noble or righteous.
Some are proud of their ancestry while some are not. If you are proud of your ancestry, congratulations…but make sure you are not just simply picking scraps and pieces falling off from your ancestors’ table.
If you are someone who is ashamed of your ancestry, remember that all is not over for you yet. Instead of complaining or fighting the past magnifying the unfair things or the image and reputation of our lineage it should be our endeavor to set a new standard for our family. We should say to ourselves “I have been dealt a hard blow but the bucks should stop with me”. Rather than harping on the past, we can set a new precedent for those that come after us.
This is the dilemma of our ancestry. No matter how hard or far we try to run away from it, it always somehow finds its way back to us…….sometimes for good and sometimes for worse.
