History of Nagaland
Introduction
Usually when we go abroad, we need a visa, but you will probably be surprised to know that there is such a state in India.
Where people need to take a permit like a visa to go, here you cannot enter the state border without the permission of the state government. This state is Nagaland.
Nagaland, which was once feared by even the British government. At the time when India was under the British rule, this state of India was almost free from the clutches of the British and somewhere even today it is still isolated.
The History Of Nagaland
The history of the north-eastern state of Nagaland became one and a quarter state of India in December 1963. Even though it is a part of India today, people still know very little about it. Nagaland i.e. the "land of Nagas," which is rich in natural, cultural and environmental resources, is the only state in India whose name is Nagaland. Nagaland is named after the tribes found there. Nagaland is as beautiful in appearance as it is famous.Its history is bitter and bloody, which is still a factor of unrest due to the partition and Christian tax policy of the British. Hearing all this you must also be curious to know the history of Nagaland, so let's start the journey of Nagaland.
Early Nagaland History.
This area was ruled by the Ahom Empire, but the people of the Naga tribe lived a largely independent life. That is, the Ahom rulers could not establish complete control over them. The Ahom kings tried many times to establish control over the area. But he could never succeed in this objective, however, better information about the history of Nagaland is obtained only after the British arrival.
British Occupation
So let us know how Nagaland was during the British rule. Nagaland during the colonial period, as we know, in the 19th century. The British had captured most of the areas of India, now they were setting their eyes on the entire North-Eastern India including the Naga Hills, but capturing the North-Eastern states was a difficult task for the British. Present Nagaland was also included in it.
When the British government an attempt was made to expand into the Naga areas. The Naga community strongly opposed it and more than 50 tribes lived on the Naga Hills, who were known for their bravery and fearlessness and were also experts in guerrilla warfare. These people were part of the British army.
Naga society had a strange tradition of cutting off the heads of their enemies and this tradition gave goosebumps to the British. Apart from the British, Burma also had an eye on this area of North-East India, it also wanted to capture it. To fulfill this intention, the Burman dynasty attacked Assam in 1816 and as a result.
The foundation of the oppressive Burman rule was laid in 1819 AD. Along with Assam, Nagaland also came under the direct rule of Myanmar, after which from 1824 From 1826 onwards, there was a war between the British and the Burman dynasty in which the British won and the Treaty of Yam Daab was signed between the two, after which the British made Assam a part of British India. They also rapidly expanded their jurisdiction over modern Nagaland.
Under this, in 1832, European Captain John Kings and Paint entered the Naga Hills for the first time and with this they became the first Britishers to enter the hills of Nagaland. They reached the Naga area with their 100 soldiers. These soldiers reached the Naga settlements. They wanted to build a road to connect Assam to Manipur but the Naga community did not listen to anything they said and ultimately they had to go back. Actually the British government wanted to earn money from the tea gardens present in the Naga areas, that was the reason why the British.
The Nagas were trying to capture the areas, however, the British also built trading posts at many places, which were often raided and destroyed by the people of the Naga tribe. To curb these raids, British troops deployed troops between 1839 and 1850. 10 military campaigns were conducted but the Nagas always chased away the British. Even many times the Nagas even killed the British soldiers, after which the fear of the Nagas increased a lot among the British. After this the British did not start a direct war with the Naga group.
Capture Naga Hills
The Britisher adopted the policy of controlling and also removed their posts from the areas of Nagaland. It effectively controlled the Nagas and its goal was to end inter-ethnic warfare and tribal raids on property and personnel that were always resisted.
Political officials were determined to control the powerful village of Damant Khonoma. He marched with his troops towards Khonoma where he was shot along with his 35 escorts. The British were defeated at Khonoma. With this, the British abandoned their plans to take over Nagaland for some time.
However, after 1880 The British administration strengthened its position over a large area of the Naga Hills and took it under its control. After this, the British administration implemented the monetary system there, due to which the tribal tradition going on there was greatly affected. These developments affected the Nagas.
Initiated a profound social change among the people. First the British targeted the social customs of these ethnic groups so that these tribes could be instigated to revolt and later they could be brought under their control through the use of force.
Naga Tribe Rituals
The practice of animal sacrifice, which had been going on among the tribes for centuries, was banned and the forest rights of these tribes were also abolished, due to which these tribes rebelled against the British, but these tribes, who fought with spears and arrows, became brown seeds. As a result, Naga Hills came completely under the control of the British and in the year 1926, it was separated from India and made a part of Pako Ku Hill Tracts District of Burma.
Spending time in Nagaland British Christian missionaries played an important role in changing the culture of this region. Missionaries also vigorously propagated Western civilization among the Naga community, due to which the Naga community started moving away from their culture and traditions. As a result of their missionary work.
The Naga tribes adopted Christianity and especially the Baptist faith. During this time, half of the population of Nagaland had adopted Christianity. You will probably be surprised to know that the largest church of Asia, Sumi Baptist Church, Nuhe Boto, is in Nagaland.
Nagas Struggle For Independence State
The Nagas together formed a club which was named Naga Club. After the arrival of Simon Commission in India, the Naga community placed some demands before the British Government. These demands were placed on 10th January 1929, which was submitted as submission. In the Memorandum to the Simon Commission, also known as the Naga community, the demand of the Naga community was that no restrictions of any kind should be imposed on them.They said that the tax being collected from them is absolutely wrong because their lands are not fit for cultivation. The Naga group rejected this In the memorandum, the British were also asked to return from their territory because they believed that the British had neither conquered the Nagas, nor had they conquered them, nor had they forced them to remain slaves as per any condition.
The Nagas always have been independent and want to remain in future also. In response to the Naga Memorandum to the Simon Commission, the British House of Commons ruled that the Naga Hills should be kept out of the scope of the new Constitution, after which the Naga community was away from the laws of the British.
After 1935, the Nagas assumed self-governance in the Naga region and ruled it on their own without any interference. Nagaland played a central role in one of the many battles of the Second World War. On 4 April 1944, during the Second World War, the Nagas were captured by Japanese troops. Kohima, the capital of present Nagaland, was attacked. William Slim was in command of the British Indian Army. Japan had to face defeat in this war that lasted for three months. In this war, about 53,000 Japanese soldiers were killed while more than 16,000 British soldiers were killed. The soldiers and a large number of Nagas were killed. Historians believe that Japan's intention in the World War was to build a military wall from Kohima to Imphal, but this defeat stopped them from moving forward in South Asia. In this war, the British had Even though there was victory, after the Second World War, the British Government became very weak, after which they had to leave India. India became independent but the struggle of Nagaland was still not over.
India got independence from the British but this area remained a part of Assam province. In 1946, NNC i.e. Naga National Council was formed under the leadership of Feijo for the demand of a separate country. During this period, nationalist activities emerged among the Naga tribes, because they did not want to give up their heritage and native culture. There were also some groups in the Naga Hills who wanted to keep the Naga Hills as an autonomous state. For this they resorted to political activities. After independence, the Indian government led by Jawaharlal Nehru was trying to make the Naga Hills a part of the Indian Union. For this, the Indian government took the help of leaders of various indigenous tribes of the North East like Assamese, Garo, Khasi, Lushai, Abar Misham and Mathus. They held a meeting together but their efforts went in vain. On August 14, 1947, Naga leaders under the leadership of British citizen Angami Japu Feijo of NNC i.e. Naga National Council had declared Greater Nagaland i.e. Nagalim.
Angami Japu Feijo led the Naga National Council. Angami Japu Phizo was the person who believed that the North-Eastern Indian states should become an independent state of their own instead of becoming a part of the Indian Union. Under the chairmanship of Phizo, the NNC adopted the path of violence. After this declaration of Phizo, the offices of the Government of India in the Naga region. And attacks on their officers started by the NNC people. At some places, these attacks were so violent that the NNC rebels even burnt the government officers alive. Along with this, thousands of Naga and NNC people also lost their lives. Angami Japu Phizo formed the Naga Federal Government and the Naga Federal Army on 22 March 1952.
The Nagas used civil disobedience tactics against the Indian government in 1933 but when this did not work, an armed conflict began in 1955 to crush the rebellion. About 4000 Indian soldiers were deployed in Nagaland but violence was increasing. In 1956, NNC announced the formation of its government in Nagaland, after which in 1957 the government started diplomatic talks with representatives of Naga tribes.
The Naga Hills district of Assam and the Tuen Sang frontier were united into a single political unit. Meanwhile, the Naga tribes formed the Naga People's Convention on 22 August 1957 under the chairmanship of Dr. Im Kong Leeba Ao to solve the Naga problems. To curb the incidents, the government implemented AFSPA i.e. Armed Forces Special Power Act in three Naga dominated districts Senapati Tamil and Ukhrul. But on 11 September 1958, this decision of the government increased the dissatisfaction among the tribes and soon the entire state. The fire of agitation and violence intensified further.
The biggest problem faced by the Government of India was the Naga Federal Army. In a way, it was an underground armed army of Nagaland. The NFN Army fought fiercely with each other but despite the manual intervention of the armed forces. When the government did not get any significant success in establishing peace in the Naga region, the government adopted the path of negotiation rather than force.
The Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru talked about a peace agreement, after which the Naga People's Convention demanded statehood, this started. In 1961, when a 16-point agreement was reached between the Naga People's Convention and the Government of India, it was decided to give Nagaland the status of a full Indian state, due to which the State of Nagaland. Act was passed in 1962 and Nagaland was formally recognized on 1 December 1963. After getting recognition as a state, in May 1964, a ceasefire was also announced between the Government of India and the Naga Federal Government i.e. Naga Federal Government of Phizo, but this peace could last only for some time due to the assassination of the Chief Minister in September 1972. Attempts were made after which the NNC was banned by the Government of India and the ceasefire broke down.
Birth of NSCN
The Shillong Accord was signed by the Government of India. The Federal Government of Nagaland in November 1975, although about 140 people under the leadership of Thu Eng Lang Mywa A group of members refused to accept the Shillong Accord and formed the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) in 1980, with its Chief Isak Chishi Swu, General Thuingaleng Muivah and SS Khaplang being the prominent leaders.The objective of this organization was to spread the ideology of mouth to mouth. The aim is to establish a Greater Nagaland i.e. Nagalim or People's Republic of Nagaland. Its manifesto is based on the principles of socialism for economic development and the spiritual vision Nagaland for Christ.
However, most of the rebellions were suppressed during this period, then in 1988 NSCN there was a dispute and on 30 April 1988 the NSCN got divided into two factions. The faction led by SS Khaplang was called NSCN-K and the one faction led by NSCN IM was led by Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah. The Nagaland Insurgency was said to be the main reason for this.
The organization demands a Greater Nagalim which includes Nagaland as well as all the adjacent Naga area which includes several districts of Assam, Arunachal and Manipur as well as a large part of Myanmar. The map of Greater Nagalim covers an area of about 120000 square kilometers. While the present Nagaland state has an area of 165 527 square kilometres. Violence flared up again in the late 1990s leading to conflict between factions of the insurgent group National Socialist Council of Nagaland NSCN IM reached a ceasefire with the government in 1997.
According to the agreement signed, the government will not press for counter-insurgency operations against the NSCN while the rebels will not target the armed forces. Both sides, the Center and the militant groups, have been maintaining a ceasefire for 25 years but no permanent solution has been reached so far. The Government of India has been continuously negotiating separately with the NSCN IM and the Working Committee of Naga National Political Groups i.e. NNPG, which consists of at least seven Naga groups.
The Government of India and the NSCN signed an agreement on 3 August 2015 to end the insurgency in Nagaland. The Naga Peace Agreement was signed between the IM, Government Interlocutor RN on behalf of the Government of India, while Lt Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah signed it on behalf of the NSCN, followed by the NNPG in November 2017.
Also signed agreement NNPG has agreed to accept a solution and continue negotiations but NSCN IM is adamant on its demand of a separate flag and constitution for Naga due to which violence still occurs from time to time. We still hear the news of clashes between the army and the rebels. But people of Nagaland are still waiting for peace.
Conclusion
One of the seven sisters, the history of Nagaland and the story of its formation. The beauty that calms the mind here is much more than the rebellion in the winds. Nagaland is extremely essential to maintain the integrity of India. Even today the courage and determination of the Nagas is famous all over the world, hence their unique culture and history. Recognition should reflect the cultural harmony and unity of India. The Government of India is making all kinds of efforts to save this state from bloodshed so that peace can be established in this state.