Author & Poet Mmhonlumo Kikon along with participants during the 7th Annual Veritas Lecture at St. Joseph University, Chümoukedima on February 25. (Photo Courtesy: SJU)
Chümoukedima, February 26 (MExN): The Department of Political Science, St Joseph University, Chümoukedima, organised its 7th Annual Veritas Lecture on February 25 at the University Auditorium.
Author & Poet, Mmhonlumo Kikon delivering a talk on the topic 'Revisiting our History from the Perspective of Native,' raised concerns about the absence of the study of history of the Northeast in the curriculum of our universities and colleges.
He strongly urged autonomous colleges and Universities to design and adopt curriculum about history of our region.
Kikon started the conversation with the idea of ‘colonial naming’ and the practices of colonial agents mispronouncing and renaming places and terms like Kohima, Angami, Rengma, Lotha and the like.
He emphasized that none of these names are indigenous to the respective Nagas tribes but a result of the Britishers mispronouncing local names/terms.
For instance Kohima is the accidental exonym for Kewhima/Kewhira derived from words ‘wildflower’, 'visit’ and ‘settlement’, according to the constitution of Kohima village.
The speaker asserted that there is no decolonization process in Nagaland and therefore these names which is given by the British is still stuck with us.
He opined that renaming places and identity is an part and parcel of the colonization process while dehumanizing and rewriting the history of the subject.
He said this process is what we called ‘cultural eraser’ and is an integral part of cultural imperialism by imposing cultural hegemony.
Kikon also stressed on how the Britishers recorded the term ‘Kacha-Nagas’ for the word ‘Ketsa’, given by Angami to the Zeliang, meaning ‘forest dwellers’ without any ill intentions was converted into a derogatory term by the British.
He argued that the terms like Kacha-nagas, savages, non-believers are all binaries of colonialism where words are used to subjugate.
Kikon remarked that colonial era’s policies and rules have spillover post-independence and have extended even in legislation. So also colonial language legacy still remains and these language narratives which still affects us has its origin in the colonial past.
Professor Dr Achanger delivered the introductory address on the objectives of the annual Veritas Lecture Series and highlighted the various achievements of the Speaker.
The Programme was chaired by Assistant Professor Benjungnungsang
The talk was followed by an interactive Q and A session from students and teaching faculty moderated by Associate Professor Dr Shonreiphy Longvah and Assistant professor K Tohuto gave the vote of thanks.
