Relooking Zeliangrong Regionalism within Naga Nationalism 

Gwangphun Gangmei

Abstract

The regional political consciousness among the ethnic groups was prompted with the coming of the European and westerners in the Northeastern region during the 19th and 20th Century. Regionalism is a political ideology considering the interest of a particular region who share a common identity based on their distinct characteristics such as language, culture, history and food habits. The Indian political view of Naga Nationalism is regionalism within the parameter of Indian nationalism. Whereas, the Naga Nationalism is not a secessionist movement but a national liberation movement to free the Nagas from the occupational politics of India. The Zeliangrong regionalism is within the parameter of Indian Union. Nevertheless, it falls within the Naga nationalism.

Introduction

Ethnic consciousness amongst tribal communities of Northeastern region has its root in the emergence of political consciousness with the coming of European and westerners. The history of existence of every ethnic group is made up of event of political assertion and determination. According to Yu Bromley, a soviet sociologist, ethnicity is defined as “a historically formed community of people possessing common, relatively stable, specific features of culture as well as being aware of their unity and the difference from other similar communities”.  A history of a community begins with the individual account of life faced in response to events of existence as experienced or perceived. The history of a community is the collective response to the events occurring in the larger world around them. The ethnic consciousness of the Naga community could be accounted for the emergence of political and identity consciousness that has awaken Naga regional politics culminated into the consciousness of Naga Nationalism. Naga Nationalism is born as the result of the British colonial rule in the region they named it the Naga Hills of Assam during British rule in India. The emergence of Naga ethnic nationality has its root with the coming of the British merchandises and the first and second World Wars when the Naga villagers in their isolated jungles were attacked and threatened their survival. The Naga villagers in their primitive stages could not match their warfare with the invading forces. They started to find more of their identical people around them and the need to strengthen their common identity has prompted them to find their root of origin and sameness. According to Cliford Geertz, ethnicity is defined as an activated primordial consciousness. Ethnicity is a feeling of belonging of an ethnic grouping to their ancient roots and their ancestral heritage. The Naga ethnic consciousness like any other ethnic group is a psycho-social phenomenon that persists in any human society. Therefore, the ethnic identity consciousness is the motivating force behind the ethnic movement throughout the world leading to the rise of ethnic nationalism. The Naga nationalism emerged as a touch of natural evolution process with the ethnic identity consciousness culminating to form a common Naga National political movement. The concept of Zeliangrong regionalism was spirited by Jadonang and Rani Gaidinliu in the lives of Zeliangrongs which later came to have organised in the form of Zeliangrong People Convention.

Analysis on Naga Nationalism

The emergence of Naga ethnicity and consciousness of Naga nationalism is the direct outcome of the British Colonialism. Gangmumei in his book “Ethnicity and social change” 2002, P-69 states, “A feeling of separateness of the Nagas from the mainland Indians naturally emerged during the rule of the British who conquered and brought them under a regular administration. This created a sense of unity among the Nagas.” In the course of development of Naga politics in the early 20th century, the Naga regional political assertion, a more and deeper sense of nationality was born and Naga National Council (NNC) formed in 1946. Thus Naga nationalism took its shape in the face of Indian Nationalism. Regionalism is a political ideology that focuses on the interest of a particular region, group of regions or sub-national entity. In India, Regionalism is a term used to describe the idea that people living in a particular region who share a common identity based on their distinct characteristics such as language, culture, history and food habits. This shared identity creates a sense of togetherness among the people inhabiting a region. Regionalism is defined as the expression of a common  sense of identity  and purpose commonly focused and interested within a specific geographical region bound by common indentify, culture and historical sameness. The root of regionalism in Indian can be traced to have rooted in colonial policies. The colonial attitude and treatment towards princely states and those of the presidencies has developed regionalist tendency among them. Their exploitative economic policies have given rise to economic disparities and thus regional imbalance created. According to Indian perspective of the Naga liberation movement, it is a secessionism, another form of regionalism that involves militant and fundamental groups advocating a separation from India on the basis of ethnicity and racial line. Another form of regionalism is separatism that demands for a separate statehood within India.  India views that the Naga national movement is a politics of parochial regionalism that poses a potential threat to the sovereignty of the nation. Indian political view of Naga Nationalism is regionalism within the parameter of Indian nationalism. Whereas, in the context of Naga Nationalism, their movement is not secessionist movement but a national liberation movement to free the Nagas from the occupational politics of India.  It is not the subject of India either for Nagas to be with or not to be Indian. Simply the Nagas are not Indian. The Indian political concept of the creation of Nagaland state is based on Naga regionalism within Indian Nationalism. There can be no Naga nationalism within Indian Nationalism by consent if not by compulsion. Therefore, Indo-Naga issues could not be drawn home to a solution till date.

Analysis on Zeliangrong Regionalism

The Zeliangrong Nagas have their unique history of struggle alongside the Naga struggle for National freedom. The history of Zeliangrong regional political movement is basically defined as “No tax movement” of 1891-1894. Later, it was defined as Naga Raj movement or Jadonang movement 1925-1931. There was no Naga political consciousness among Zeliangrongs when the “No tax Movement” and “Naga Raj movement” were launched in the Zeliangrong Region except the inherent right to defend the land and people, Jadonang called Makam Guangdih (kingdom) and Makam (people). The Naga consciousness came in the much later part of 1950s to the Zeliangrongs. The Zeliangrong villagers by individual have given their thumb impression as their word of honour to join the Naga Movement in the 1951 plebiscite to which the whole Zeliangrongs from Manipur and Assam subscribed to it. However, “the Naga movement reached Zeliangrong soil in Manipur in 1957.” Namthiubui Pamei. 2001 the trail from Makuilongdi. p-61 (sic). However, the Zeliangrong movement emerged in a properly organised form after Rani Gaidinliu was released from the jail in 1947 and after her return to her homeland from Tuensang areas where she was directed by the Govt. of India to be kept 500 miles away from her homeland. She formed a group called Heraka and went underground in 1960. The Zeliangrong movement was formerly called Heraka movement. “The Herakas were for a homeland for the Zeliangrongs within India first and then the Naga independence” (Ibid.p-84)

The Zeliangrong people were uniting their force to fight against the outside invaders particularly the British and later the Kukis in their country. The turn of a political tide came when Naga National movement clashed with the Heraka movement. There was a two tier objectives among the Zeliangrong Nationalists. Many Zeliangrongs joined the Naga Movement with the thought that the Zeliangrongs are also Nagas and their struggle was for the common Naga cause at the same time the spirit and aspiration for a secured Zeliangrong homeland was in the hearts of Zeliangrong Naga Nationalists. However, there were division of ideological differences among the Zeliangrongs on the aspect of Naga National movement and Zeliangrongs’ political movement called Zeliangrong People Convention (ZPC). Nevertheless, both the movements survived the test of hard time without losing its history of struggle. Later, writers and scholars from Zeliangrong community and other Indian and foreign authors have defined the Zeliangrong movement to be regional oriented, demanding for a separate homeland for Zeliangrong kindred tribes in the name of Zeliangrong People Convention (ZPC) without defying or denying the Naga National movement. Therefore, a renowned scholar and professor; Gangmumei, in his version of defining the two movements once stated, that the Zeliangrong political concept is “Zeliangrong regionalism within Naga Nationalism”. It may be defined that the Zeliangrong political aspiration for attaining statehood is not a separation from the purview of Naga National solution. The Naga solution as anticipated could be inclusive of the present Nagaland state and parts of all the Naga-inhabited areas. Hence, any form of settlement, be it ENPO demand or Zeliangrong peoples’ demand for their statehood will encompass within the Naga territory.

Reasoned that, the current Zeliangrong political talk with the GOI by Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) and Zeliangrong Statehood Working Committee in unison for a separate statehood will neither affect nor hamper the Indo-Naga talk, rather it may incorporate and give more substantial evidence to integrate the Nagas for an inclusive solution. To deny the fact could be equal to denying Nagas’ inclusive solution.

Conclusion

The Zeliangrong regional politic and Naga National politics are viewed and taken to be part of the whole frame within the Naga society. The different dimension lies in the fact that one is regional and the other is national outlook. The Zeliangrong regionalism may be put within the purview of Naga Nationalism when Indo-Naga settlement is arrived. The Zeliangrong territorial region or the Frontier Nagaland Territory and the present Nagaland state are within the Union of India.

(The writer is a social research activist)