My People: Perception of the Past

By Tuisem Ngakang *

My people, the Nagas, have a continuing high regard for the past, and throughout our life we are taught by example and observation that it is through the knowledge gained over time that our people have managed to survive.

We Naga are taught that all things stem from and continue to be tied to the past, and that it must continue to be respected and preserved. In our land, it is necessary to hand down from generation to generation the knowledge and the skills to ensure survival.

It is no longer news to state that the customs, beliefs, values and opinions of the Nagas society have been handed down from their ancestors to posterity by word of mouth or by practice since the earliest times, until the advent of British colonization and its stress on literacy and the written word barely 150 years or so, changed the trend.

Before this so-called 'civilizing' contact the Nagas had lived his life and had maintained his tradition in his own way. He had made things and had acquired property; he had believed, loved, hated, fought, wandered and wondered, and had learned many things by his own experimental existence. His dreams, fears and his hopes had existed since the most primitive days when his life began.

From birth, through stories and legends about survival, endurance and respect for nature and all mankind, children are taught. Toys and playthings are fashioned for them, including tools and traditional dress so that they may learn early about the roles they will assume.

Girls were provided with packing parkas and carry their dolls on their back as they will carry their children in the future, and they are taught the traditional styles and methods for sewing and designing clothing. Boys are dealt with from an early age as budding warriors, and are introduced to traditional games, group play and exercises to learn alertness, improvisation and endurance.

Children quickly come to understand in my culture that time-honored skills and attitudes can never be relegated solely to the past; that they ensure a way of life and survival in the present and for the future.

A great amount of time was spent by children in listening to the elders as they recount tales of their past, and in hearing through individual songs called haolaa. These songs usually speak of events that occurred in the past and detailed their reaction to them. Their ties to the past have essentially been passed down verbally through legends, anecdotes and songs.

I am part of something that time has not erased. As a Naga I have learned first-hand that the knowledge handed down by my people on survival in our land is not to be disregarded, and failure to practice and uphold this wisdom can only result in tragedy or disharmony to an individual or a group. We, as Naga, have a strong sense of self-of who we are, and why we are as we are.

Through our legends we Nagas speak of our close ties with the spiritual world, and of our reverence for and understanding of wildlife. Stories handed down through time depict our interrelationship with the animal world, and tell of animals and humans exchange roles, acquiring supernatural powers and teaching and providing for one another. Our artwork also reflects these relationships, and has rituals that show respect for and acceptance of this oneness and harmony, which are displayed in our carvings and shawls.

All these, and more, are an eloquent testimony of the way of life of a people-they represent the spirit, attitude, wisdom and life-style which the Nagas had lived, had believed and had passed on from generation to generation for many centuries. They are the product of his experience rooted at a particular time in the life of the society.

This built-up wealth of Nagas oral tradition has lived is living and will live in the folklore of the people. It is enshrined in the memories and hearts of the people. These tradition-bearers have kept alive the totality of our society, the unique system of our beliefs, the pristine virtues of our humanity and the rich cultural heritage found in the folk tales, myths, legends, proverbs, superstitions, songs and recitations of our ancestors which have come down from the remote past of our history.

When the Westerners came to our land, many of our Nagas values and practices were not understood by Westerners- people whose civilizations were different from our own. The tendency was to laugh at those things which looked surprising from the standpoint of those who made themselves judges. These were labeled primitive and uncivilized, because they did not conform to 'civilized' standards.

Early White missionaries, who considered the folk-lore as rustic and primitive, without dept or sophistication, missed the point completely. Although there may be some common-sense beliefs and superstitions in the uncivilized communities, it must be noted that these have existed side-by side with some of the most profound philosophies as well as some of the deepest truth of humanity.

Our older people told us that we are the earliest inhabitant of this land. We are also aware of the tales and stories associated with the earliest contact with non-Nagas-in the form of wanderers, traders, missionaries, geographers, administers. Our older people speak of their parents meeting the earliest visitors and sharing our food and shelter with them. Although the time span that we refer to is general, the information handed down is very specific and detailed.

There are many sites in our place, which tells the heroic deeds of our forefathers and speak about our past, but it has limited historical interest to the Nagas, as they have simply accepted their existence as part of their life. However our attitude should change as outsiders are intruding in, the new awareness of these sites should be extended as the key to preserving the past. As the population grows, our people should become increasingly concerned about the threat to the environment.

We are told that, recently some archeological work has done in our land. It is good that we are digging out our past, but it is also necessary for the Nagas to share their understanding and knowledge of the past. More time and attention will have to pay to the strong concerns we have regarding the remover of artifacts to distant museum locations, where we question whether we shall ever get an opportunity to view them again and utilize them to educate our own children.

To know that we belong to us, we need to make actively doing our part to preserve our environment, wildlife, historical sites while they are still relatively intact. We should learn, how valuable and experience caring these to me and to my children. Spending our time in taking care of these invaluable resources is identical to look at our own way of life.

Standing here in my own land - with friendly birds and lovely animals- I am aware, as they may be that their ancestors probably watched mine in the same manner as in this same place hundreds of years ago.

Here at this land, nothing has changed through time. I-Naga- and the land and the animals are still here. This is my past, and this has become a special place. Even though I am young, I too am the past as much as I am the future!

* This article was published in Sangai Express and Morung Express on 10th September 2008.