Friendship Treaty between Tuophema and Tesophenyu marks 50 years celebration
Morung Express News
Tuophema | November 30
“Khrietho (Friendship) is greater than Vitho (Ceasefire)!” said C.T Rengma on the 50 years celebration of the Friendship Treaty between Tuophema and Tesophenyu which was held on November 30 at Tuophezou Dahou, Tuophema village. Narrating the history of the Friendship Treaty, CT Rengma stated that during the 1870s before the British invaded the Naga country, three friends Zerügei from Tuophema, Hontewa from Tesophenyu and Rheichalie of Mezoma to a common pledge to be eternal friends while feasting in the feast of merit hosted by Zerügei at Tuophema. The three friends vowed to avenge each other in times of need and remain friends “till the sky and earth cease to be, as long as the sun and moon shines.”
Years later, Hontewa during one of his visitation to his sister who was married to a man from Tseminyu was killed by a person from Tseminyu. To avenge their friend's death and to honour their covenant of friendship, Tuophema and Mezoma jointly invaded and attacked Tseminyu.
Further in later years, to strengthen and uphold the covenant of Friendship of their ancestors Tuophema and Tesophenyu entered a formal Friendship Treaty where Tuophema hosted the first Friendship Treaty on February 16, 1967 followed by Tesophenyu on January 17, 1969.
CT Rengma viewed that Vitho is made (which means ceasefire in Tenyidie) whenever there is a war, therefore Khrietho (meaning Friendship in Tenyidie) is greater than Vitho. Although there is no written record on the Friendship, Rengma noted that the story of this friendship has been made known through our oral history. “For years our ancestors have safeguarded and passed on this friendship and goodwill into our hands. In this hundreds of years of Friendship there has been no enmity or disagreements between the villages. Now it is the younger generations who must continue and uphold this friendship,” said Rengma who urged the young to maintain this friendship forever citing that if a person from Tesophenyu met a Tuophema anywhere in the world they must extend friendship towards each other and support each other. If Tesophenyu, or Tuophema is friends with some other villages, friendship must be extended to those villages. “You must uphold this friendship wherever you are. What is the meaning of Friendship if you cannot be there for each other during the bad times?” expressed Rengma.
The Speaker for the Celebration was Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio who recalled the Friendship Treaty held in Tesophenyu way back in 1969 where Rio was also part of the celebration as a young boy. Rio urged the gathering to continue to build peace not just between the two villages but between the two tribes too. Friendship Treaty such as this, viewed Rio, should be spread among Naga villages where unity must be fostered and forgiveness also ushered in.
“Today Naga society has broken into pieces because of disagreements and Isms,” said Rio who pointed out that Friendship Treaties are needed for rebuilding and repairing broken relationships in Naga society. “To renew our friendship and to remember our Treaty, pass it down to the younger generation so that our children remember us and peace prevails in society,” said Rio who hoped that such peace, treaty and friendship must be passed on to the whole Naga society.
Parliamentary Secretary Levi Rengma in his speech stressed that the 50 years celebration of friendship also reinforces the age old tradition and culture that was handed down to by the forefathers. “Tradition represents a critical piece of our culture. They help form the structure and foundation of our families and our society. They remind us that we are part of a history that defines our past, shapes who we are today and who we are likely to become. Once we ignore the meaning of our traditions, we're in danger of damaging the underpinning of our identity,” viewed Levi Rengma.
A major concern is the failure of societies to carry on those cultural practices that were left by their forefathers, stated Rengma who also viewed that the role of culture in society today has been damaged because of forgetfulness of the past and the neglect of one's cultural heritage.
In conclusion, Levi Rengma also called upon the people to fight the menace of corruption in Naga society. “The cry of Nagas today is corruption free government but we are forgetting that to have corruption free and good governance can come if the society can get rid of corruption and start thinking and act positively and responsibly,” said Rengma.
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