Reflections on the fourth Naga peace agreement
- Part 1 -

Lt Col (Retd) M Ranjit Singh *

The Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isaac-Muivah) (NSCN-IM) signed an agreement on August 3, 2015. This agreement has been read by many as a successful conclusion or perhaps the roadmap towards the same in the Naga Peace talks that has been going on since April 2001. One must welcome this agreement, the fourth such peace agreement on the Naga issue since 1947, as it promises to usher in peace in the Naga dominated areas where there had been violence for many years.

The details of the agreement have not been made public. Probably the Government of India is keenly watching the reactions of all concerned before finalizing the details of the agreement. At such a juncture, one needs to caution that solving the problem of Nagaland must not lead to triggering of problems in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur. If that happens then the whole purpose of peace building shall become self-defeating.

Further, one also needs to note about the complicated nature of the "Naga tendency" that has become a kind of truism. Take for instance, historically, whenever any Naga faction signed any deal with the Government of India, other Naga groups had raised the bogey of sovereign State, independence, and integration of contiguous Naga dominated areas, etc. This is the "Naga tendency" which is one of the major factors for stalling a successful conclusion to the Naga peace process. And there is no surety that this will not happen again. The rumbling has already started in the Angami areas of Nagaland who has strongly registered objection to the signing of a treaty by leaders from the Sema and Tangkhul (a scheduled tribe from Manipur) in the name of the Nagas neglecting major tribes of Nagaland.

But what is most interesting is a political circus unfolding in front of us as a fall-out of the above agreement. Taking advantage of the current volatile situation in Manipur, two tribal Chief Ministers of neighboring states (where Inner Line Permit is already in vogue) have started fishing in the troubled water of Manipur. One of them is the one who became Chief Minister of the State by default and who also has been accused of stashing Rs. 78 Crores black money in foreign bank accounts. The other one is the Chief Minister who has not been able to solve the refugee problems of Reangs and Brus in his state. He is shedding crocodile tears for the very tribes his forefathers have thrown out from his state into the state of Manipur.

In the background of the above cited undercurrents, I make an attempt to recapitulate certain trajectories of history so as to throw light on the Naga movement – its evolution and mutation –and why Manipuris must unite and stand together against the possible breaking up of a long standing historical boundary of Manipur just to appease few Nagas.

Understanding the nomenclature "Naga"

There was no term like "Naga" till the early 19th century. The earliest British writer to use the term "Naga" probably may be Lieutenant R Wilcox in 1827.The Naga as we understand now is a generic term applied to all hill men not being a Kuki and residing in the present state of Nagaland and Manipur. The Nagas are also found in some parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Among the Naga people themselves the term "Naga" was utterly unknown till very recently. It is probable that the term "Nanac"(Naked) used by Shihabudin Talish, the official historian who accompanied Mir Jumla in 1662-63, in describing hill men in the hinterland of Lakhimpur and Sibsaagar of Assam may have been corrupted by Assamese and Bengalese as Nagas to describe these hill men. Before the usage of the term Naga, they were known by the name of their ethnic tribes. Thus, we have Angami, Sema, Ao, Lotha, Chakesang, Rengma, Sangtam, Konyak, Yimchungar, Phom and Zemai, etc. in Nagaland and Mao, Maram, Rongmei, Liangmei, Tangkhul, Maring, Kom, Anal, etc. in Manipur. Incidentally the name Angami is a name given by Manipuris and their own mostly used term is "Tengimah".

In Manipur, all the Nagas were earlier known as "Hao". The term "Hao" is no longer used in Manipur as it is considered to be a racist and derogatory word. The origin of this Manipuri word as explained by a British writer is "One very noticeable habit common to all these tribes (Nagas) is that, when a man is carrying a load, at every other pace he expels his breath with a loud "how" in a deep musical sound, which, when a lot of men are walking together, and do this in a different note, has a very impressive effect". Hence the Manipuri speak of all Nagas as "Hao". (To be contd)

First contact with British

The first direct contact by the British with the Nagas of present-day Nagaland dates back to January 1832 when Captain F. Jenkins and Lieutenant R. B. Pemberton passed through the area in search of a safe communication from Manipur to Assam via Khonoma (Popolongmai in Manipuri), Samgudting and the Dhunsiri to Mohung Dijooa on the Jamuna. This was followed by an expedition by Maharaj Gambhir Singh along with Lieutenant Gordon through Kohima in December 1832 and January 1833. This expedition column was divided into two parts. The one led by Lieutenant Gordon went directly to Mao.

The second party led by Maharaj Gambhir Singh started on December 20, 1832 (Mera 13) subjugated all the villages of Ukhrul, Mao and Maram and later joined the party of Lt. Gordon at Mao. The names of about 40 Naga villages subjugated by Maharaj Gambhir Singh during the expedition are given in Cheitharol Kumbaba. Kohima was destroyed on Februaruy 25, 1833 (Wakching 1) and he stayed there for a month. The success of the expedition against the Angami Nagas was basically because of fire arms possessed by the Manipuri Army as the Naga as a rule had such a dread of fire arms, that he is simply contemptible before any force thus armed.

The famous Kohima Stone sculptured with a foot print of Maharaj Gambhir Singh was installed during his stay at Kohima. Many Nagas believed that a live boy was buried under this stone as a symbol of conquest. No such record is available in Manipuri records and very unlikely to do such barbarous act by a Manipuri Maharaja.

For many years commencing from 1835 Naga raids into British territories were of almost annual occurrence. Ten Military expeditions were led into the Naga Hills in between 1835 and 1851. As the occasional expeditions could not prevent the Naga raids to British territories, the Naga Hills district was formed in 1866 with Head Quarters at Samgudting(near present Nichuguard). The Head Quarters was later shifted to Kohima on November 14, 1878.

On October 13, 1879, Mr.G. H. Damant, the first Deputy Commissioner of Kohima was killed at Khonoma. The uprising by Khonoma village was joined by Jotsoma, Kohima and other Angami villages and laid a siege on Kohima garrison for eleven days. The garrison had 545 persons including Mrs. Damant, Mrs. Cowley and her two children. The siege was finally lifted after the arrival of 2000 Manipuri troops. To punish Khonoma and re-assert the supremacy of the British Government, a punitive expedition was led against these villages. Thereafter Naga Hills was made a British District with well defined boundaries. The Nagas as well as the British administration slowly settled down.

Footnote on Manipur

Manipur has a recorded history since 33 AD. The areas of Manipur kingdom have been gradually extended by 67 Maharajas since 33 A.D. till 1891 when Manipur was defeated by the British. The boundary between Manipur and Cachar was demarcated under the authority of the treaty made between Maharaj Gambhir Singh and East India Company on April 18, 1833.

The boundary between Manipur and Naga hills was laid down by Captain Gordon and Lieutenant H. Bigge in 1841-42. The boundary line commences from the upper part of Jiri River, the line along the Dotighur mountain, or that range of hills in which Mukro River takes its rise, east on the Barak River; by the Barak River up to where it is joined by Tayphani River, which flows along the eastern line of the Poplongmai hill; by the Tayphani river up to its source on the Burrail range of mountains; and by the summit or water-pent of the Burrail range on to the source of the Mao river flowing north from that point towards Assam. (Dzuko valley is very much part of Manipur as per this boundary line). This boundary line was again reconfirmed in 1871 by Mr. J. F. Browne, Special Commissioner up to that line as far east as source of Zupro. The southern boundaries of Manipur have already been demarcated by Captain R. Pemberton in 1833. There has been no change in the boundary of Manipur since then.

The subjugation of hill tribes residing inside the present boundary of Manipur, however, started in a major way during Maharaj Gambhir Singh's time. It was later consolidated during the reign of Maharaj Nar Singh and Maharaj Chandrakirti. Many tribal leaders and writers from Manipur claim that the Nagas and Kukis in Manipur were never under the rule of the Maharajas of Manipur. This is not so. All the people inside the boundary of Manipur were under the control of the Maharajas of Manipur and later under the control of British.

To be continued...