Former Chief Minister Dr Shürhozelie Liezietsu.
Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 26
Former Chief Minister Dr Shürhozelie Liezietsu expressed worry that the Naga indigenous languages are losing ground as Nagamese— an Assamese pidgin used for communication among Nagas, becomes more and more ubiquitous.
“Nagamese, a lingua franca without grammar, will swallow the indigenous languages in a matter of 30-40 years,” said Liezietsu addressing an event of the Tenyimi Students' Union Dimapur (TSUD) on August 26. The programme was the TSUD’s cultural-cum-freshers’ meet hosted at the Patkai Christian College campus under the theme— Preserving & Enhancing Culture through Education.
Liezietsu, who is also the President of the Ura Academy, maintained that the Naga brethren should be cautioned of the looming danger “so that they do not regret tomorrow.” The Ura Academy, located in Kohima, is the premier institution of the Tenyidie language committed to preserving and perpetuating the Tenyimia culture.
While aware of the “looming danger,” he also admitted the contradiction of having to speak in English in a gathering of Tenyimia students. Such a situation, he said, was rather embarrassing and one that needs reflection as to “whether we can overcome such embarrassment in future.”
The contradiction was evident enough but he reminded of the Naga situation vis-à-vis the diversity of the Naga community made up of various different tribes, each with a distinct language.
Citing from Rev V K Nuh’s ‘Naga Chronicle,’ he said that the Naga comprise of 64 tribes, including the Naga of Myanmar and India, speaking different languages with some tribes having more than one.
He cited the Rengma, which speaks two distinct languages and which have been introduced at the elementary level. Despite this, he said that young Rengmas still “have no medium but to talk either in English or Assamese.”
“As per the Government policy, text books have been prepared in local languages and introduced in Nagaland schools at the Elementary level. But if it is as simple as that, are the planners not creating barriers among our people?” he posed.
Of the several Naga languages, only Tenyidie has been institutionalised as an academic language while the rest have still to be organised as specialised medium of learning and study at the University level.
The Ao language was expected to soon join Tenyidie in this respect, but he regretted the other Naga languages do not have the organisation at present.
While highlighting the development of the Ura Academy, through the works of the early Christian missionaries, he recalled the Academy’s application for including Tenyidie in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. He expressed hope the Government of India will take up the matter.
Forest Amendment Act unacceptable
On the implications of the Forest Conservation Amendment Act, 2023, Liezietsu maintained that the amended Act would create problems in Nagaland, a state where “the ownership of land is peculiar.” In such a scenario, he added that it cannot be accepted.
He said, “It (amended Forest Act) can be a law, but even law cannot be imposed in a matter like this. Your land is your property, your wealth. If your right is taken away over it, you cannot remain silent because it is law. So, for the Nagas, this is very dangerous.”
According to him, the state Assembly should pass a resolution to reject the amended Act altogether. He replied in the negative when asked if the erstwhile Forest Conservation Act, 1980, was at all effective in Nagaland.
He also opposed the move of the Union government to introduce the proposed Uniform Civil Code on the same line. “We cannot just take these things as the final, because time may come when we can change by ourselves all these rules,” he said.
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