There is urgency for Naga people to fully grasp the impact of their tumultuous history within today’s context of the 21st Century? Where are the Nagas going with their journey having been diverted many times? How will the present generation prepare for future transitions? What will the present Naga generations take with them? These are some questions that challenge the Naga well-being.
In addition to the internal Naga dynamics, the current global trends of nationalism, extremism and globalism are eroding the values of justice and the rule of law leading to more divisions and increasing intolerance around the world that effect Nagas as well. These trends highlight the urgency for a collective reflective process to advance human security based on justice and dignity.
In the aftermath of the September 11 attack in the USA, a Native American grandfather was talking to his grandchild about how he felt about the tragedy and he said, “I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one.” The grandson asked him, “Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?” The grandfather answered, “The one I feed.”
These words of wisdom remind the Nagas they are responsible to begin critically examining themselves by asking if they are feeding and nurturing the forces that will create a nation of respect, dignity, justice and hope. Or are Nagas only fueling the forces of prejudice, hatred, oppression and the ‘isms’ which allow the powerful to exploit a nation’s evolution and progress? Nagas need to consciously realize that they cannot begin building a future that is founded on ‘hate’ and ‘exclusivity?’
Nagas can begin by reclaiming their heritage, recovering their stories and erasing the myths that have distorted their cultures, historical narratives and identities. They can begin by unpacking their colonial history in a way that reveals and embraces the richness of Naga cultures. One that will liberate them from the unjust parochial colonial systems that continue to suffocate them.
The colonial policies have through a subtle interplay of assimilation and divide and rule stripped away Naga dignity and liberty. Over the decades, statecraft too with great sophistication has been able to distort history so that Nagas are now made to believe it is the truth and to become what they are not. How do Nagas peel away the lies that continue to suppress their truth? How do Nagas distinguish the perceived truth and the real truth, when the lies have now become the perceived truth? Despite these are difficult questions, this journey needs to be taken in the process of nation building and to arrive at a justpeace.
If Nagas truly want change they need to begin addressing history in meaningful ways and exercising the courage to recognize each other’s rights and understand the meaning of their collective existence as a peoples. This involves a paradigm shift of looking at history, not as victims but as survivors, by embracing the values of a dignified shared humanity.
