Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, June 7 (EMN): Recipient of the Governor’s Award in 2011 for distinguished achievement in the field of literature Achilla Imlong Erdican passed away on Thur. June 7 at around 8 pm at a private hospital in Dimapur after a prolong illness. She was 89 years old and is survived by her husband Dr. Albert G Erdican.
Born on May 9 1929 to late Imlong Chang and Imcharenla from Sipongsang village in Tuensang district, Imlong Erdican was the first lady to matriculate from the Chang community. She was also the first Chang lady to receive a BA in 1955. She received her BA and M.Ed. degrees from Linefield College in Oregon in USA in 1958, besides M. LS from the University of Western Ontario in Ontario, in Canada in 1970.
Imlong Erdican also served the community as general secretary of the Chang Tribal Council during 1947-49, and the government as asst. education officer in the ministry of Education during 1959-60, a teacher at Methodist Secondary English School in Malaysia during 1961-63. She was also a special officer for Tuensang Affairs of the government of Nagaland from 1964 to 1969. She was the first Guides commissioner during 1966-1969, and a member of the Advisory Council of Bhanastali Girls College in Rajasthan from 1967 to 1969. She was a faculty member of the Emory University of Atlanta, USA from 1976 to 2010 and an editor and compiler of the Chang-English, English-Chang Dictionary 2003.
Erdican married Dr. Erdican, an American citizen, on Nov. 25 1970 and returned to Nagaland in 2011 after spending more than 40 years in the United States.
Family sources informed that the funeral service of Erdican will be held at Thongo Enclave house no. 148, Duncan Road, in Dimapur at 12 noon.
