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History of the Nagas
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History of the Nagas
The history of the Nagas dates back centuries, but the Nagas first appear in written records of the Ahom kingdom during the medieval period of Indian history. Their relations with neighbouring peoples, however, were not limited to the Ahoms. Naga communities also interacted with Kachari groups and the Dimasa–Kachari kingdom, whose early capital was located at Dimapur in the Dhansiri valley. Kachari historical traditions preserve accounts predominantly concerning warfare with both the Ahoms and the Nagas. An Ahom chronicle tradition further relates that, while passing through the Tirap region, Sukaphaa encountered a group of Kacharis at the foot of the Naga Hills. They reportedly stated that they and their chief had abandoned Mohong, a tract associated with salt springs, after losing it to the Nagas, and had subsequently settled near the Dikhow River. Thus, although many Naga communities remained politically autonomous and comparatively isolated from distant states, they maintained military and political contacts with neighbouring Kachari and Ahom polities.
This changed further in the 19th century, when the Burmese Empire launched several invasions of Assam between 1817 and 1826, bringing parts of the Naga-inhabited frontier briefly under Burmese influence. The neighbouring British Empire subsequently annexed Assam following the 1826 Treaty of Yandabo.
During the 1830s, the British dispatched several expeditionary forces to Assam in order to solidify their control over the region; in 1845, British officials signed a non-aggression pact with several Naga chiefs to bring an end to Naga raids on British-controlled territory in Assam. However, the Naga violated the agreement and continued to launch raids on British-controlled territories. During the 19th century, British attempts to subdue the Naga tribes and abolish traditional Naga practices such as headhunting and intertribal violence were resisted with guerrilla tactics from the Naga, in particular the Angami Naga. The colonial authorities responded by launching a series of successive punitive expeditions, which brought this resistance to an end.
During World War I, 2,000 Nagas enlisted in the British Indian Army (BIA) and served in the Western Front. In World War II, a larger number of Nagas enlisted in the BIA and fought in the Burma campaign against invading Japanese forces. After India became independent from British rule in 1947, the Naga became Indian citizens, though an ongoing ethnic conflict has existed in the region since 1958.
Protestant Christian missionaries from America in the nineteenth century were successful in converting many among the Nagas. It led to them dropping many customs and traditions and, along with the spread of British-style educational systems, was part of the arrival of modernity in the Naga hills. The first missionary in the Naga hills is believed to be Rev. Miles Bronson in 1839, who stayed for a short period among Nocte Naga in Namsang under Tirap district of present day Arunachal Pradesh. In the 1870s, Dr. & Mrs. E. W. Clark worked among the Ao people. With the help of a Mr. Godhula, an Assamese Christian, they established the first church, a Baptist one, in Molungkimong (Dekha Haimong Village) in 1872.
As the people adopted Christianity, they began to develop more of a "Naga" identity, a radical departure from their distinctions based on warring villages. Today, more than 95% of Naga people identify as Christians, mostly Baptist.
The Naga hills have been an area of continued resistance as they had long been isolated from outside cultures. The development of a spirit of nationalism and sense of a common identity are relatively new concepts among the Naga people. According to their traditions, each village is an independent republic; initially, they wanted to be free from all outside domination.
Modern education, together with Christian missions, contributed to the politicization of Naga ethnicity. In 1918, a group of educated Nagas formed Naga Club in 1918. The club wrote to the Simon Commission in 1929 demanding that "Nagas should not be included within the Reformed Scheme of India".
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History of the Nagas
The history of the Nagas dates back centuries, but the Nagas first appear in written records of the Ahom kingdom during the medieval period of Indian history. Their relations with neighbouring peoples, however, were not limited to the Ahoms. Naga communities also interacted with Kachari groups and the Dimasa–Kachari kingdom, whose early capital was located at Dimapur in the Dhansiri valley. Kachari historical traditions preserve accounts predominantly concerning warfare with both the Ahoms and the Nagas. An Ahom chronicle tradition further relates that, while passing through the Tirap region, Sukaphaa encountered a group of Kacharis at the foot of the Naga Hills. They reportedly stated that they and their chief had abandoned Mohong, a tract associated with salt springs, after losing it to the Nagas, and had subsequently settled near the Dikhow River. Thus, although many Naga communities remained politically autonomous and comparatively isolated from distant states, they maintained military and political contacts with neighbouring Kachari and Ahom polities.
This changed further in the 19th century, when the Burmese Empire launched several invasions of Assam between 1817 and 1826, bringing parts of the Naga-inhabited frontier briefly under Burmese influence. The neighbouring British Empire subsequently annexed Assam following the 1826 Treaty of Yandabo.
During the 1830s, the British dispatched several expeditionary forces to Assam in order to solidify their control over the region; in 1845, British officials signed a non-aggression pact with several Naga chiefs to bring an end to Naga raids on British-controlled territory in Assam. However, the Naga violated the agreement and continued to launch raids on British-controlled territories. During the 19th century, British attempts to subdue the Naga tribes and abolish traditional Naga practices such as headhunting and intertribal violence were resisted with guerrilla tactics from the Naga, in particular the Angami Naga. The colonial authorities responded by launching a series of successive punitive expeditions, which brought this resistance to an end.
During World War I, 2,000 Nagas enlisted in the British Indian Army (BIA) and served in the Western Front. In World War II, a larger number of Nagas enlisted in the BIA and fought in the Burma campaign against invading Japanese forces. After India became independent from British rule in 1947, the Naga became Indian citizens, though an ongoing ethnic conflict has existed in the region since 1958.
Protestant Christian missionaries from America in the nineteenth century were successful in converting many among the Nagas. It led to them dropping many customs and traditions and, along with the spread of British-style educational systems, was part of the arrival of modernity in the Naga hills. The first missionary in the Naga hills is believed to be Rev. Miles Bronson in 1839, who stayed for a short period among Nocte Naga in Namsang under Tirap district of present day Arunachal Pradesh. In the 1870s, Dr. & Mrs. E. W. Clark worked among the Ao people. With the help of a Mr. Godhula, an Assamese Christian, they established the first church, a Baptist one, in Molungkimong (Dekha Haimong Village) in 1872.
As the people adopted Christianity, they began to develop more of a "Naga" identity, a radical departure from their distinctions based on warring villages. Today, more than 95% of Naga people identify as Christians, mostly Baptist.
The Naga hills have been an area of continued resistance as they had long been isolated from outside cultures. The development of a spirit of nationalism and sense of a common identity are relatively new concepts among the Naga people. According to their traditions, each village is an independent republic; initially, they wanted to be free from all outside domination.
Modern education, together with Christian missions, contributed to the politicization of Naga ethnicity. In 1918, a group of educated Nagas formed Naga Club in 1918. The club wrote to the Simon Commission in 1929 demanding that "Nagas should not be included within the Reformed Scheme of India".
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