'Sahnit' (Kuki Black Day) an honour or a disgrace

Kendy Pamei *

Kukis observed 25th anniversary of 'Sahnit', Kuki Black Day at Churachandpur on 13 September 2018 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam

The anticipated 25th "Sahnit (Kuki Black-day)" was observed for three days from 11 – 13 Sept. 2018 at Churchandpur, most Kuki writers have come up with a well-articulated version of their views in many local papers and in different social media. Many have termed the Naga-Kuki conflict of the 1990s as 'genocide, ethnic cleansing, or even holocaust etc' such writes up has inflicted hatred in many innocent young generations be of Kuki or Nagas. Before we divulge to the main issue of ethnic-clash it is a must to revisit and needs to look at our history to retrospect on the matters.

The coming of Kuki in Manipur was a matter of few decades, in this instance, it's worth quoting the lines of Sir. J Johnstone (1897) "The Kukis are a wandering race consisting of several tribes who have long been working up from the south. They were first heard of as Kukis, in Manipur, between 1830 and 1840". It is clear that the Kukis were a wandering tribe who migrated to Manipur as refugees.

In the similar line T.C Hudon (1911) has also quoted the words of Kuki man "we are like birds of the air, we make our nests here this year, and who knows where we shall build next year", such writings manifest that Kukis came to Manipur much later than Naga, in-fact such writings aptly indicates their migration even during the 1800s, whereas the Nagas at that time has already set up proper villages and social structure in the hill of Manipur. The probability of Kukis migrating upward from Burma can be attributed to scare of their powerful kindred, was undeniable.

"The new immigrants began to cause anxiety about the year 1845, and soon poured into the hill tracts of Manipur in such numbers, as to drive away many of the older inhabitants........ Seeing that the Kukis had been driven north by kindred but more powerful tribes, and that their first object was to secure land for cultivation; McCulloch, as they arrived, settled them down, allotting to them lands in different places according to their numbers, and where their presence would be useful on exposed frontiers" (Sir. J. Johnstone; My Experiences in Manipur and the Naga Hills; 1897).

Had McCulloch, the then political agent of British in Manipur had not been handed the management work of the new arrivals, it is uncertain as to where the history of our brethren Kukis would have been now. It was obvious, during 1820-1850 AD, the migrated Kuki where adjusted to settled at frontier areas by Major McCulloch, such arrangements are still evident till date. Despite having allotted them land for their settlements, Kukis to quench their thirst for more land start invading the innocent original inhabitants.

T. C Hudson "I have stumbled across ruins of large villages in the jungles south of Nongba, and learnt that they were the ruins of Kabui villages that had been destroyed by Kukis", Sir. J. Johnstone "Just before we started for the Naga Hills, I received the news of an attack by the Chussad Kukis on the Tankhool Village of Chingsow, to the northeast of Manipur, forty –five people were said to have been killed or carried off; and the excitement was all the greater from the belief entertained that the attacker has been instigated by the Burmese''. Despite all these troubles, Nagas though being the older settler of Hills of Manipur did not in most case retaliate Kuki's attacked despite their peaceful isolated life being disturbed.

Yet again Kuki waged war against the Zeliangrong people in the year 1917 (till today Zeliangrong people remembered as 'Hoakip War'), killing more than 1000 Nagas, our throes were never shared, elders even forbid us from susurrant saying such massacre are not worth remembering. Almost after a century of truce, the Naga-Kuki clash of the 1990s erupted when on May 30, 1992, a group of KNF under the leadership of Mr. C Dougel collected huge money and also in kind from four Naga village namely Satang, Wakshu, Phaison and Chaktong in Chandel District, apart from that numbers of male from these four villages were subjected to inhuman torture and on 3rd June 1992, a shoot-out took place between the suspected NSCM and KNF, one Onkholet Haokip was killed in the clashed.

KSO without waste of time called for a total shutdown in Moreh town on June 4-5th 1992 and announced through a loudspeaker that Naga should leave Moreh town within 24 hrs or face dire consequences, this lead to mass exodus of Nagas from Moreh. Aftermath this accident the matter has escalated beyond the contending parties to the extent of tribal clash resulting in loss of thousands of innocent Nagas and Kukis, it is understandable from both side that such is the painfull experienced.

Many Kuki writers have lashed out their pain and loses, Nagas do feel their anguish at the same time we do bear the pain of losing our dears ones, however, they failed to acknowledge the loss of Nagas. Like them, Many Nagas esp. the Zeliangrong people alone in Tamenglong District have suffered beyond the imaginable pained.

There are instances were:- 5 members of a family were murdered cool-blooded while they are happily reaping their field; a group of 9 peoples returning home from Senapati were ambushed and slaughtered including a mother and her infant; a bus full of innocent students also a passenger bus heading to Tamenglong were pushed down the gorge and so on.

In Tamenglong District alone more than 900 houses were burnt, hundreds of innocent lives were snatched. However, our Kuki writer Mr. T. S. Haokip in his circulated article 'Kuki Black Day: The Day the Kukis Will never forget to remember!' articulated that, 'the so-called ethnic clash was not an ethnic clash.

It was an evil design by an armed group to cleanse the Kukis in its entirety and grab their lands to stake claim for greater Nagaland', such claimed with sinister intentions of portraying the ethnic clashed, wherein both sides have lost thousands of lives, as ethnic cleansing is very immature and instil pained, hatred among the peoples and also perilous, rather in reality checked it was the Kuki who initiated the conflict and compelled Nagas of Moreh to leave the town.

If the commemoration of such bloodshed is the way of achieving peace among the people then Naga can undoubtedly even trace their lost beyond the 1990s and inscribe those departed souls in a monolith so that generation after generation will remember, however, such is not the way to abate our pains.

The coming of Kuki to the Naga hill has always been our appalled experienced from the very first time and for centuries Nagas have never attempted to observe Black Day in remembrance of victims of Kuki warrior, rather Naga has chosen to forgive and forget. Contrary to which Kukis have been observing Kuki-Black day for the last 25 years, which indicate their inability to forgive & forget the unfortunate clashed.

Kuki might believe such is an act of paying tribute to their departed souls, had that been the case, Why our Kuki brethren don't share the pain of Naga families who are mourning for their loss and pay tribute to the depart Naga souls too? Each time I pass through a Kuki village in Sadar hill area, I was saddened to see a monolith been erected with the name of their departed souls. Sometimes it's ambiguous as to, why, we need to reminisce about such inter-tribe conflict with great pride.

Black-day is just a gentle reminder of our blunders and an attempt to escalate the enmity between the two tribes rather than bringing peace to the land. The search for the meaning of glorious Kuki-Blackday have no glorious conclusion and possibly would never find them in near future. Sahnit' (Kuki Black Day) an honour or a disgrace? For Kuki, it's a tribute for the departed souls and a way of finding justice for them, but could the same perspective be taken into accounts for the Naga?

The ethnic clashed which erupted between Naga and Kuki in the 1990s, are in no way can be termed as Holocaust, ethnic cleansing, genocide, such exaggerated claimed should also be avoided. Observing Sahnit is like rubbing a salt to the wound, not an attempt to bring tranquillity, Naga has never or even consider this day as the day of victory over Kuki. Nagas and Kuki both have lost thousands of our dear ones and both equally grief for them.