Thomas
NNC Member
All the Naga people, including the NSCN-IM group, joyously celebrated the 79thNaga Independence Day on 14thAugust 2025, yesterday, everywhere in Nagaland. But the Eastern Naga youths questioned, why are we observing Independence Day? Also, I have an experience in 1998, when I was coming up to Mission Compound near the Baptist Bible College, a Police group was talking about the celebration of Naga Independence Day by the NNC/FGN, one of them, a Naga, said, before they get independent, they are observing it, and laughed at it. Again, in 2004, in Noklak Town, I invited a Kilonser (Minister) of NSCN-K to participate in the 58thNaga Independence Day celebration in Nolak Town, but he said, why are you celebrating it, we are yet to get Independent. I am therefore obligated to explain it in the interest of Eastern Naga youths.
The Nagas had never fallen into any foreign domination in human history. They had been living as free people. The Nagas have no king, or a government body to rule over them. But each and every village was a sovereign republic in its own, ruled by a village chieftain assisted by members of the village Council. They have no contact with other foreign nations as well.
After India had fallen into the British suzerainty, the British came to Nagaland with the Indian mercenary soldiers in 1832 at Chemukedima (now Dimapur), they asked the Nagas do you have a King. The Naga thrusted its spear to ground, showing the British. This is our King. Hence, the British comprehended that the Nagas have no King. The British might have the intention to make treaty with the King or to fight against him.
As the British attempted to invade Nagaland, the Nagas relentlessly defended their country, started from 1832, and hence, the intermittent war with the British lasted for 48 years. The last war with the British was fought in Khonoma (Phizo's village) on November 22nd, 1879.
After this, the British sought for peace with the Nagas. The Nagas accepted it and made a verbal peace agreement at Mezuma village, Angami Region. The British wanted to have a written agreement, but the Nagas rejected it, saying; we don’t know what you would write in the document. Therefore, the Nagas have no subordinate treaty and agreement with the British, except a verbal peace agreement.
The verbal peace agreement was performed by the animist Naga Shaman. A circle was drawn on the ground, and into the circle two persons, a representative of the Naga and the British, entered. They held a cat, head side by the Naga and the body part by the British. The meaning is, the Naga is Lord of the land, but the British is a guest. The Shaman prayed for the agreement, saying; if anyone violated the agreement, let him be killed like the killing the cat, and then cut the throat of the cat.
After the verbal peace agreement, the British asked the Nagas to let them have a Military base in Kohima, to which the Nagas agreed provided not to interfere in the Naga national affairs. But the British took advantage of the peace agreement, started their administration in Nagaland covering one-fourth (25%) of Naga territory and ruled on it up to 67 years (1947). The remaining 75% remained as un-administered areas or Free Nagas, up to their departure from India and Burma.
In January 1929, the British Statutory Commission, led by Sir Simon, visited Kohima, Nagaland to ascertain the aspirations of the Naga people for their future. There the Naga Club submitted a memorandum to the Simon Commission, stating, without the knowledge of the Naga people, Nagaland should not be given to any nation, but leave us alone to determine for ourselves as in ancient times. (The Naga Club was formed on January 7, 1918).
Based on the Memorandum, the Naga national leaders decided to firmly stand to defend the sovereignty of Nagaland and decided to declare the age-old Independence of Nagaland before India and Burma become independent nations. Because, India and Burma to become independent nations were ascertained with the signing of the Atlantic Charter by the British Prime Minister and the President of the America on 14thAugust 1941.
At the same time, Sir Robert Reid and Sir Reginald Coupland proposed a Crown Colony for the Mongoloid tribal people, known as frontier areas, saying; they are neither Indian nor Burmese. They should not be included in the Indian Union and Burma lest they suffer at their hands. The recorded Mongoloid people by the British were the Naga, Kachin, Chin, Shan, Karenni, Karen, those who are living in Chittagong (Now Bangladesh), and Northeast India (seven States). They should be in the Crown Colony for 10 years and be granted independence later.
However, the Naga National Council rejected the proposal, as they wanted to keep a unique history of Nagaland by declaring an age-old Nagaland Independence. Hence, they changed the name of Naga Club into the Naga National Council (NNC) on February 2, 1946. With the formation of the NNC, all villages were brought into a nation for the first time in history.
When the Indian leaders came to know the stand of the NNC, they sent a committee of the sub-constituent assembly to Kohima, Nagaland to talk with the NNC. The Committee had a meeting with the NNC in May 19-21, 1947 and the Committee offered the NNC, an autonomous status if the NNC join the Indian Union. The NNC leaders gave a reply to them that the Naga are independent nation from time immemorial and the Naga will continue to remain an independent nation as in ancient times. But the Indians have yet to become an independent nation.
As the Committee failed to talk with the NNC, the Indian leaders once again sent Sir Akbar Haydari, a Governor of Assam to talk with the NNC in June 1947. There, Sir Akbar Haydari signed the 9-Point agreement with the NNC on June 26, 1947. With the signing of the agreement, the Government of India (GoI) recognized the NNC. However, the agreement was unilaterally abrogated by the GoI. Which was officially made known to the Naga delegation on 8thNovember 1949 by the Chief Minister of Assam, when the Naga delegation wanted to enquire about the implementation of the agreement.
When at the evening of the 9-Point Agreement was signed, Sir Akbar Haydari threatened the NNC leaders, warning that if the NNC leaders continued to refuse to join the Indian Union, the GoI will use arms to force the NNC to join the Indian Union. The NNC leaders, therefore, sent a delegation led by A.Z. Phizo to meet the Father of the Indian nation, Mahatma Gandhi at his Bhangi Colony in New Delhi. The Secretary of Gandhi asked Naga delegation to write an agenda for the meeting. The Naga delegation thus wrote the points for the meeting, 1. Nagas are not Indians, 2. Nagaland does not belong to India, 3. The Naga will declare their age-old Independence on 14thAugust 1947. 4, If the Indian attack Nagaland, the Nagas will defend their land to the last man.
When Mahatma Gandhi saw the points, he said, if the Nagas are not Indians, and Nagaland does not belong to India, the matter ends there. As we don’t want to be under the British, they are leaving India. If you don’t want to be under India, you have every right to become an independent nation outside India. No one will force you to join the Indian Union.
With an understanding of the Indian leaders, the Naga National Council declared the age-old Independence of Nagaland on 14th August 1947 to the outside world. The declaration was cabled to the UN, the British Government, and the Government of British India. In fact, the Nagas do not need to declare their independence, but to safeguard the sovereignty of Nagaland in those days of Changing world, and in the future, no nation could challenge the sovereignty of Nagaland.
Also, the declaration of Independent was reaffirmed by 99.9% of Naga people when the NNC conducted a Naga national voluntary Plebiscite on May 16, 1951. As the Nagas voted to remain Independent as in ancient times, this was a final verdict and solemn pledge of the Naga people for their future Nagaland. With this declaration of Independence and Plebiscite, the NNC completed to build a Naga Nation.
But India and Burma failed to recognize the will of the Naga people, instead dividing Nagaland in March 1953 following the cursory boundary of the British Colonial regime, which was drawn in 1914 without the knowledge of Naga people. Then sent their armed forces to Nagaland and started the war with the Nagas.
Today, the Nagas are fighting for the recognition of the sovereignty of Nagaland by the world as well as by India and Burma. But not demanding independence from a foreign nation, but it is defending our sovereignty.
However, when the NSCN was formed on January 31, 1980, the NSCN leaders condemned the NNC and rejected it, deviated from the Naga national stand, and now they are demanding a shared sovereignty (autonomy) from India. As they rejected the NNC, the NSCN has no historical background. Because the Naga national history is only the records of the NNC, and therefore as they rejected the NNC they had done away with the Naga national history.
The remarkable event was there to prove that the NSCN has no historical background. On July 27th1997, NSCN-IM leaders, Isak and Muivah attended at the Indigenous Human Rights Conference in Geneva. Eno Isak gave his speech at the conference, stating the Naga declared their independence in 1947, and reaffirmed it by the Plebiscite in 1951. Then after the Indian representative stood up and questioned him that have you the right to speak of 1947, and 1951 since you were born in 1980? The two NSCN-IM leaders have no point to reply it. This was related to the NNC leaders by a reliable person who attended the same Conference.
Then after the NSCN-IM started to observe Nagaland Independence Day on August 14. 1997, which was a Golden Jubilee of NNC or Naga Independence Day. After the formation of NSCN, they never observed the Naga Independence Day, but after 17 years, they started to observe it in 1997. In this year 2025, they are going to observe the 79thNaga Independence Day at Phungyar Village in Tangkhul Region. But even if they observe the Naga Independence Day, they are steadfastly upholding the Framework Agreement signed on 3rdAugust 2015, and demanding shared sovereignty from India. Which is a contrary to the celebration of Naga Independence Day. As Nagaland never part and parcel of India, and in addition, the Nagas declared their Independent before India became an independent nation, the Nagas have nothing to do with “demand”.
Moreover, the NSCN falsely projected that the NNC committed surrender with the signing of Shillong Accord in 1975, and has been continued to tell lies up to this year 2025 (46 years). But their actions always speak the truth that the NNC did not surrender. Because, they have been observing the Naga Independence Day and the Plebiscite day every year started from 1997.
If the Nagas give up the stand to defend the sovereignty of Nagaland, and reverse their stand to demand a political solution within the Indian Union, the history of NNC is not needed to talk about.
However, all they Nagas are wholeheartedly observing Naga Independence Day every year, the problem with India and Burma is needed to solve based on history. The history is written on the platform of the NNC, and without the NNC, we have no way to solve the conflict based on a sovereign nation. After the conflict is solved, history will remain as history, and we will have nothing to talk about history for solving the problem with other nation.
Observing Naga Independence Day by all Nagas is very important, and the most important is to comprehend by all the Naga youths of today that the pivotalof the NNC to solve the conflict is the need of hour.
God bless Nagaland.
