Political empowerment and Tribal Women Of Manipur
- Part 11 -

Dr. Benjamin Gangmei *

Women reservation issue seems to have gained momentum with the wave of Women Reservation Bill. The NGO called Tribal Rights Protection Movement (TRPM), Manipur urged on State Governor to amend Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act, 1971 so that it may incorporate provision of two seats for women in the council. Two women may represent the "unrepresented tribes in each district." Following suit Valley Rose Hungyo and R. Daniel lodged a complaint at Gauhati High Court against non-reservation of seats for women in the Council. Such initiatives may be termed as a good start and in right earnest. In this regard the State Government shall be responsible taker of the move.

While statutory women political empowerment is yet to come, women without necessary non-statutory political empowerment have gone through six decades after Indian independence. This political life of tribal women particularly that of Naga women continued as late as in 1994. Remember tribal Naga groups are far greater in population among the tribals of Manipur.

The Naga women, for protection and promotion of their various rights and privileges and playing their role in the society in concerted manner, established their own forum called The Nagas Women's Union, Manipur. In one of its resolution adopted under No. 4, October 1994 states that women should be given right for participation in Village administration which is considered "right direction" of women empowerment at village level.

This is one of the important collective assertions of women for their political empowerment among the Naga tribes of Manipur. The decision for claiming their right for participating in village decision process testifies to the state of affairs in political matter. But how far has the empowerment initiative progressed within two decades after 1994?

Perhaps the initiative finds few takers in male-dominated Naga tribal society. This has been revealed by the responses provided in the Questionnaire circulated in 2009. Past conservative outlook of menfolk is still found tralaticious in present Naga Society. In the past Naga society "women were debarred from political activities" and "not allowed to enter councils where men gathered to discuss political and inter-village issue."

While the context is in Nagaland this old Naga menfolk's attitude is still expressive in the matter of sharing political rights and opportunities. The Nagaland State Government's proposal for the reservation of 33% for women was shot down by the Naga Students Federation stating that women's role for distinct Naga race has nothing in common with that of men.

And old Naga customary or traditional practices are thereby retained in Naga society. And the paradoxical attitude of some women Associations to such stand was supportive.

The support of women to NSF's stand is not in the interest of women empowerment. Such neutrality on the part of some women to empowerment initiative is not absent in Manipur context as well. For respondents expressed it so. Besides neutrality of women there is lack of awareness among tribal women.

So, the dilatory process of women political empowerment in tribal society of Manipur is attributed to, while menfolk is equally responsible, women's neutrality to empowerment initiative and lack of awareness among majority of tribal women.

Majority of tribal women is suffered from lack of awareness about the importance of participation in decision making process by exercising their full political rights and opportunities.

That is the reason why they fail to rightly initiate themselves for change in decision-making bodies like Village Authority, other traditional institutions, etc. in present-day society. Only a few women raise their voice against the discrimination and their efforts are often found to be in discrete manner.

As to neutrality, except a few women activists, majority of tribal women, either in secular or religious context, is gender-neutral. The reason is that they are apprehensive of men's reaction or they are "divided among themselves" over gender issue. The hold of patriachal value in the society is behind this attitude of women.

The ultimate outcome of these factors – neutrality and lack of awareness, is moderate or less influence of women and continued tendency of dependency of women on menfolk for political expression in tribal society. Therefore, what is required for political empowerment of tribal women is to educate them on necessary awareness and their tendency of dependency. In short, they should be enabled to neutralise the sway of patriachal ideology or outlook in tribal society.

Taking cues from their hurdles which are endemic in tribal society, the problems may be classed as lack of socio-political consciousness and self-effacing tendency. Under the former there are illiteracy or lack of knowledge, lack of information etc. which led to their socio-political unawareness; and the latter is caused by domestic pressure on women which is naturally resulted into their dependency on men and lack of women leadership.

Illiteracy is rated as the most harming factor for empowerment initiative among the tribal women of Manipur. While statistically it is not fully justified, level of knowledgeable literacy rate is not so high. It is also true that those knowledgeable women literates are not necessarily far more informed or aware in political matter as they are about economic rights and opportunities.

To be continued....