"Zeliangrong people has the history of common ancestry" - ZB
Source: IT News

Imphal, August 03 2018: The Zeliangrong Baudi Manipur in a statement said that the contention of the so called tribe councils that "Zeliangrong" is not a tribe but it is the name of the organization itself is an attempt to mislead and contradict the finding of the anthropological research that concluded as the "Zeliangrong people has the history of common ancestry".

The Zeme council, Liangmai council, Rongmei council is a group based organization which has no authority to represent the Zeliangrong people.

In a statement the Zeliangrong Baudi Manipur said that the body is compelled to issue the clarification in order to clear the confusion conceived by those sectionalist mindset individuals who have floated the so called tribe councils with their vested interest motive and with an efforts to destabilize the unity and strength of Zeliangrong people in collusion with the outside forces.

"The genetic, inseparable and indestructible blood bound family history of Zeliangrong people which have been maintaining for ages without any form of disturbances or challenges from within and without is now trying to distort by some individuals without realizing that their efforts to mislead and befooled the public through the so called councils are only fooling themselves and exposing their crooked minds.

"The proved of Zeliangrong people speaking one language is evident when we refer to folk songs and folk tales, name of persons, clans and descendants, name of village of ancestors etc but after dispersal to different direction had started to develop some language variation.

The dialectic variation within the Zeliangrong family was magnified through the Christian leaders especially when the Baptist Christian group wassplit into smaller groups and floated different dialectic based nomenclatures such as Zeme Naga Baptist Association (ZNBA), Liamgmai Naga Baptist Association (LNBZ), Rongmei Naga Baptist Association (RNBA) and Inpui Naga Baptist Association (PNBA) instead of working for developing common language and united Zeliangrong like the other tribes whose wide division and differences in their tribe due to speaking different dialects were patched up and uphold their single identity by way of having common songbooks, bible, hymnals etc through Christianity.

The Zeliangrong people in the earlier days started to get education with a purpose only to know how to read and write but not to become officers especially considering practice of the Christian churches uses bibles, songbook, hymnals etc.

The failure of the literature groups and Christian leaders of Zeliangrong people in bringing out especially common textbooks, songbook or hymnal or bible but confined on respective dialectic based groups was the root cause of division which is still evident till date.

Now with the rising of educated people in Zeliangrong society, the dialectic based division will be diminished and vanished very soon therefore, it is high time for every responsible Zeliangrong to wake up and abandon those distorted and concocted history which is not ours if really wanted to do good thing for the Zeliangrong people", the statement said.

"Regarding the Court case issue or govt recommendation for separate tribe recognition, it is to clarify that the councils without consulting the Zeliangrong social leaders, intellectuals and general public but acted on their own wisdom and on the advised and suggestion of some politicians and bureaucrats had filed a case especially in Gauhati High Kohima Bench of which result has now derecognized the Rongmei group of Zeliangrong family in Nagaland.

The recommendation of the State Govt.and recognition as separate and distinct tribe by the Govt.is in total contradictory to anthropological finding which has now created complete chaos which may result to serious consequences for which the so called councils shall be the responsibility.

The tribe recognition issue should not be considered like registering of a political party or NGOs but the identity of a tribe has to be based on origin of human race.

Regarding the separate tribe recognition granted by the NSCN/GPRN (IM), it is also to clarify that there are so many Naga underground groups in Naga societies, therefore, the recognition granted by one group or even if all the Naga underground groups granted separate tribe recognition has no logic to uphold and will not be binding and non of their business on the Zeliangrong people", the statement added.

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