Kaka D Iralu
The words “forward tribe” or “backward tribe” are derogatory terms especially for those who are defined as backward. These words of classification of tribes did not exist in Naga vocabulary or culture. It was, in the first place introduced by the British and Indian colonizers who had their own class and caste systems. These classifications should therefore have been rejected by Nagas long ago. But instead of rejecting it, we have instead inherited it and are now even using it as weapons for deriding one another as well as blaming one another for all our ills. Still uglier, is our practice of utilizing these nomenclatures for begging for more funds from the Central Government or availing special academic privileges without intellectually sweating it out like others in competitive exams etc. This long practiced trend is a most shameful thing for any Naga tribesman and therefore must be immediately abandoned.
In today’s Naga society, the forward tribes are categorized as those tribes who got education earlier then their counterpart tribes. These so called forward tribes are categorized as the Ao’s, Angamis, Semas Lothas etc while the backward tribes are categorized as the Konyaks, Phoms, Changs, Sangtams etc. Now let us go some one hundred thirty years back into our history and trace the development of this mentality and phenomenon. This new system of tribal classification was introduced into Naga society with the coming and establishment of the British power over parts of Naga country from the 1880’s. It was further strengthened and firmly established by the Indian Government in the later 1940’s. Britain and India not only dissected our lands into Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal and Burma, but even dissected us into “Scheduled tribes,” “Backward tribes,” “Kacha Nagas,” and so on.
Now, it is an undeniable fact that with the coming of the American missionaries into our lands and the introduction of modern education to our people, some tribes advanced educationally as well as economically too. These tribes are today classified as the “advanced” or “forward” tribes who are alleged by the “backward tribes” as supposedly exploiting their fellow backward tribesman. Now there may be some truth in these allegations because some of our more educated Ministers and Bureaucrats are really mean and selfish individuals who just cannot see beyond their family, clan, village and tribal noses. These officers and so called leaders are even today, still living inside their tribal cocoons. This, in spite of their educational and economic advancement. Now, to be fooled by these leaders into branding or saying that entire so called forward tribes are selfish tribes and therefore the cause of all the political and economic ills of the so called backward tribes is simply going too far. Also, wallowing in self pity is in no way going to lift these so called backward tribes from their present status to that of a higher status.
Let us also consider another fact in this debate. The first American missionaries first came to the Aos and then the Angamis and then on to the Lothas, Tankhuls etc. And in this new scenario of opportunities, my grandfather Lt. Dr Sevilie Iralu, (like many other Aos, Angamis and Zeliangs), became one of the first medical doctors among the Nagas. His son, My Lt Uncle, Dr. Vichazelhou Iralu went on to become the first Naga Scientist. As a result, a person like me has been privileged to be the third generation of educated Nagas.
But here, the point that I want to make is that, neither my grandfather nor any of the other pioneer Naga educated people from other tribes were forcefully recruited from their villages to become the cream of Naga society. To begin with, my grandfather was a very short man and lame on one foot because of polio. His father and our Iralu clan was a poor clan in Khonoma village. We were also numerically much smaller then the other clans. As such, as far as opportunities and privileges were concerned, everything was against my grandfather and our clansmen in those days. But in spite of all these drawbacks, my grandfather was determined to become somebody in the new scenario of opportunities. When he joined the Mission school at Kohima, there was no supporting family back home who supplied his rations or cash for his education. In fact, after a few months, his father came and took him back to the village saying that he was required in the cultivation works. But he came back and supporting himself with three Paisas that he used to earn every day after school, he struggled on and finally became a doctor.
What I am trying to say is that, at the advent of the British and Americans, we Angamis or Aos or Lothas were not privileged forward tribes but became what we were through foresight, sheer hard work and sacrifices. If the other tribes had also done the same thing thy may even be far more forward than what we are today. In actual fact, at the time of the British and American advent, tribes like the Konyaks were the most privileged tribes as they all ready had the technology of fire arms and gun powder production.
In the light of all these facts, let us stop calling one another as “‘forward” or “backward” tribes and continue to blame one another for our ills. Instead of continuing to do this, let us all move ahead together in a spirit of healthy competition for excellence and build a better Nagaland for ourselves as well as for our children’s sakes.
