Questioning and Challenging the Agency, Legitimacy & Mandate of Naga Mothers’ Association or Some of its Members Goes Against the Letter and Spirit of Article 371-A

Naga organic intellectuals will be complicit by their continued and deafening silence.

It is not only ignorant and regressive but also morally bankrupt to view women as objects and subordinates meant to live lives subservient to men. Women are autonomous individuals (like any Naga men or boy) with the right to live their lives on their own terms and make their own choices in harmony with democratic social norms, values and principles. Patriarchal and insecure men who seek to control and dominate women are not only perpetuating a toxic and oppressive system but are also denying themselves the opportunity to engage in meaningful and fulfilling relationships based on mutual respect and equality. There is no level playing field in such a skewed and lopsided system and therefore is bound to fail our women and girls.

It’s important to speak out against harmful attitudes and behaviors in order to promote a more just and equitable Naga society.

Article 371-A of the Indian Constitution provides special provisions for the state of Nagaland, recognising the unique social, cultural, and political identity of the Naga people. One of the key objectives of Article 371-A is to protect the social and cultural practices, customary laws, and traditions of the Nagas. All Nagas. Not just Naga men and Naga boys.

WHO among the Nagas has the supremely ordained mandate to decide which organisation or Naga individual has the mandate and who doesn’t?

How shameful it is to exhibit a spear-and-dao wielding bravado on one hand, while issuing dictats denigrating the credibility and agency of their own women and mothers!

Naga “Individuals”, regardless of gender, are supreme in Naga society. It is the most basic and fundamental unit of Naga society. A Hoho is not a boys or mens’ club. Or is it… A modern 21st century boys’ Morung?

Disowning or questioning the individual and collective agency and mandate of NMA is akin to cutting off the very branch on which it sits.

These fundamental individual units (newborn to the eldest man and woman) constitute the membership with the respective Khels. The Khels constitute the Village. The Villages constitute the Tribe. The Tribes make up the Naga Nation. By disowning or disassociating from the Mothers and their Agency, we have stifled their space for democracy and muzzled their voice. Almost edged them out of our kitchen diplomacy.

Whose mandate is it for the NSCN to have been engineered to split in 1988, and further fragmented by forces with a divisive agenda? It continues till date, believed to have been masterminded by RAW and IB?

The so-called “Govt. of Nagaland’’ is a mandate of India, not the Naga people, under its policy of forced integration under the barrel of the gun and boots. Disturbed Areas Act and AFSPA have been used since 1958 to enforce India’s mandate over the Nagas.

Question this forced mandate of India upon Nagas, rather than taking on your own sisters and mothers.

Who has more mandate than the other? Who issues the certificate of mandate or unmandate? Who is more equal before the Supreme Naga Customary Law?

It is easy for a predator to prey on the weakest, for its survival. Are we Nagas living by the laws of the jungle? Who among the Nagas are the prey and who is preying?

The Naga Mothers Association (NMA) is an organisation that has been working towards the protection of women’s rights and the promotion of peace and harmony in Naga land, especially during the peak of fratricidal killings. For over three decades, it is well documented and recognised that the NMA has been instrumental in bringing about social and cultural transformation that have helped recognise and promote the Nagas’ egalitarian and democratic ethos.

However, the agency and mandate of NMA have been questioned by some Naga tribal bodies. These organisations have alleged that the NMA is not representative of the Naga community as a whole and that some NMA members have appointed themselves. Claiming, therefore, that they have disassociated themselves from NMA.

Such questioning of the agency, legitimacy and mandate of the NMA is not in line with the egalitarian and democratic ethos of the Naga people that is sought to be protected, regardless of 371A. The NMA has been working towards the welfare of Naga women and promoting peace and harmony in Naga land, which is in line with the principles of democracy and social justice.

The allegations against some NMA members are not enough to throw the baby out with the bathwater. The NMA has been working towards the welfare of the Naga people for over three decades, and any attempt to question its legitimacy should be done within the framework of democratic principles and social justice.

The agency and mandate of the NMA should be respected and protected as per the provisions of Article 371-A, and any allegations against the organisation should be investigated within the framework of democratic principles and social justice. The NMA has been a crucial component of Naga society, and its efforts towards the welfare of Naga women and peace in Naga land should be acknowledged and appreciated.

Thanking you,
James Pochury,
Meluri, Nagaland