It appeared that the Indian forces had been strengthened, and the NNC guerrillas weakened, during these years. There were divisions within the guerrilla forces, with one breakaway group being engaged in a much — publicized surrender in August , and there also emerged an apparently well entrenched Nagaland state government which had joined with the Indian government and supported measures against the guerrillas.
A new state government in Nagaland, the United Democratic Front UDF , elected in , attempted to negotiate a cease-fire, but this was refused by the Indian government, which was now in a position finally to defeat the much depleted NNC forces, which by were surrendering in significant numbers.
Some Nagas , while supporting the ideal of independence, nevertheless argued that the armed conflict against the full power of the Indian state could only lead to suffering for the Nagas and ultimate defeat, and therefore that resistance should be on the political plane with a search for maximum autonomy within the Indian union. The Naga Peace Council, a continuation of the body which had brought about the cease-fire of the s, made contact with the underground forces.
The provisions of the accord stated that the signatories accepted the binding nature of the Indian Constitution , that weapons would be surrendered to the peace council, that security operations would be suspended and that the curfew would be lifted. This accord reflected the strong desire for peace within Nagaland but was not accepted by all the Naga resistance forces. Phizo in London repudiated it, as did the Chinese-influenced group led by Muivah in Burma. By the s most of Nagaland was at peace, in contrast to other parts of north-east India, where various insurgent movements were active.
The NSCN, however, was still active not only in Nagaland but among the Nagas of neighbouring Manipur, and there were continuing clashes between the NSCN based in Burma and the Indian army, as well as allegations of human rights violations by the Indian military.
Within Constitutional politics there had been growing dissidence in the ruling Congress I Party the NNC had merged with the Congress Party in , but its future appeared secure when it was re-elected in November The ethnic dimensions and the geographical influences within NSCN have gained significance. What followed through the s was the formation of a number of Naga splinter groups based on ethnic lines and commanding influence in their respective areas.
An attempt was made by various Baptist Church leaders in North America to unite the disparate groups when commemorating the th y ear of Christianity in Nagaland in Atlanta in July-August Although the peace is still fragile and somehow surviving the protracted and painfully slow negotiations, the silver lining is that political negotiations have been continuing without any party breaking the ceasefire.
There have been various provocations to subvert the peace process like the attempted murder of elected Nagaland Chief Minister S. Jamir in and the subsequent killing of 12 NSCN activists by the army. The only agreement on the part of the Indian government was to extend the ceasefire agreement to cover the N aga — inhabited areas of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
The NSCN saw the refusal of extension of the cease-fire to all Naga s inhabited areas as one of the obstacles to peace talks.
NSCN IM consistently opposed the reinforcement of a federal relationship with India and positioned themselves on defining the relationship between India and the Nagas by a mutually agreed settlement clause incorporated in the Indian Constitution as well as in a separate Naga Constitution. This has caused a difficul ty in arriving at any agreement.
The absence of the Khaplang group in the peace negotiation left considerable uncertainty as to the scope of mandate enjoyed by the NSCN IM amongst the Nagas in the peace process. In the autumn of , it looked as if a peace agreement might be imminent, not least since Modi had set 31 October as a deadline for concluding the negotiations.
A further crucial and more long-term issue is the possible redrawing of the boundaries of the three states where Nagas live. Still, the following weeks saw the ceasefire holding and a general willingness on all sides to keep on negotiating. Despite this worrying global situation, we reaffirm our commitment to safeguarding the rights of minority and indigenous communities and implementing indivisible human rights for all. Sign up to Minority rights Group International's newsletter to stay up to date with the latest news and publications.
Since August, MRG has been assisting Afghan minority activists and staff from our partner organizations as their lives and their work came under threat with the return of the Taliban. We need your help. For the last three years, we at MRG have run projects promoting freedom of religion and belief across Asia.
In Afghanistan we have fostered strong partnerships with amazing local organizations representing ethnic and religious minorities. They were doing outstanding work, educating minority community members about their rights, collecting evidence of discrimination and human rights abuses, and carrying out advocacy.
Not all have been able to flee. Many had no option but to go into hiding. Some did not have a valid passport. Activists can no longer carry out the work they had embarked on. They can no longer draw a salary, which means they cannot feed their families. With a season of failed crops and a cold winter ahead, the future is bleak for too many. We refuse to leave Afghanistan behind. We are asking you today to stand by us as we stand by them.
We will also use your donations to support our Afghan partners to pay their staff until they can regroup and make new plans, to use their networks to gather and send out information when it is safe to do so, and to seek passports and travel options for those who are most vulnerable and who have no option but to flee to safety. Azadeh worked for a global organization offering family planning services. Standing for everything the Taliban systematically reject, Azadeh had no option but to flee to Pakistan.
MRG is working with our partners in Pakistan to support many brave Afghans who have escaped Afghanistan because of their humanitarian or human rights work or their faith. They are now in various secure locations established by our local partners on the ground in Pakistan. Although they are safer in Pakistan than Afghanistan, Hazara Shia and other religious minorities are also persecuted there. We need your help, to support those who put their lives on the line for basic human rights principles we all believe in: equality, mutual respect, and freedom of belief and expression.
The situation on the ground changes daily as more people arrive and some leave. Aluminium mining in Baphlimali, India, has caused environment devastation and has wrecked the lifestyle of thousands of Adivasis. For centuries, Adivasi communities like the Paraja, Jhodia, Penga and Kondh have been living amidst the Baphlimali foothills.
For generations they have lived in harmony with nature. They lived through rain fed subsistence agriculture of millet, cereals, pulses, rice and collection of non-timber forest produce, e. With widespread mining activities and linked deforestation, they have lost access to forest products and to the much needed pasture land in the vicinity of their villages.
Your help will mean that MRG can support communities like these to help decision makers listen better to get priorities right for local people and help them to protect their environment and restore what has been damaged.
The above picture is of a tribal woman forcibly displaced from her home and land by District Forest Officers in the district of Ganjam, Odisha. Her cashew plantation burned in the name of protection of forests. Please note that the picture is to illustrate the story and is not from Baphlimali.
Esther is a member of the indigenous Ogiek community living in the Mau Forest in Kenya. Her family lives in one of the most isolated and inaccessible parts of the forest, with no roads, no health facilities and no government social infrastructure. The Ogiek were evicted from some forest areas, which have since been logged. The Ogiek consider it essential to preserve their forest home; others are content to use it to make money in the short term.
Esther has a year-old daughter living with a physical disability who has never attended basic school, as it is over 12 kilometres away. Young children living in these areas face challenges such as long distances to school, fears of assault by wild animals and dangers from people they may encounter on the journey. Because the Ogiek have no legally recognised land rights, despite hundreds of years of residence in this forest, the government is refusing to provide social services or public facilities in the area.
Ensuring that the Ogiek can access health services and education is essential and will mean that they can continue living on their land, protecting and conserving the environment there. We are also advocating for equity in access to education and health by supporting OPDP to ensure that budgets for services are allocated fairly and are used well. The consequence of this wealth is that successive governments — colonial and post-colonial — have seen greater value in the land than the people.
Agriculture is their main occupation and the tribe practices jhum cultivation. The Phoms also engage in pottery, bamboo work and spinning. The traditional Phom dressing was indicative of the social status of the wearer. The ordinary clothing included a white or a dark blue shawl-like body wrap. The women wore skirts called shung-nang, which came in different colors and patterns.
The Phoms have 4 major festivals, the most important of which is Monyu. The others are Moha, Bongvum and Paangmo. Monyu is a day festival, which marks the end of winter and onset of summer which usually falls between April. One or two days before the festival, its arrival is signaled by beating log drums. The festival involves community feasting, dancing, singing and social work such as infrastructural repairs and construction of bridges.
During the festival, the men present their married daughters or sisters with rice beer and special food to show their affection and respect. The priests or the village elders predict the outcome of the coming year for the village.
This Naga tribe inhibits the eastern part of the Phek district, centered on the Meluri town about Km from the state capital Kohima. The word Pochury is an acronym formed by the names of three native villages of these tribes: Sapo, Kechuri and Khuri. Besides the three main communities, migrants belonging to the Sema, Sangtam and Rengma tribes have also been absorbed in the Pochury group. The Pochury are dependent on agriculture and animal husbandry. Hunting, forest produce and fishing were the major subsidiary occupations.
They mainly practised jhum cultivation and terrace cultivation was practised by those living in the basins of Tizu and Chichi rivers. These traditional village councils are now elected by the people. They retain several administrative powers, although their judicial powers have been curtailed by the government. The village councils elect area councils, which are responsible for welfare and development activities, and also settle inter-village disputes.
The Village Development Board, with members, supervises the execution of development schemes within a village, under the leadership of village council chairman. Yemshi is an annual traditional festival celebrated by all the Pochury. It is a combination of the different festivals celebrated by its three sub-tribes; Kupo, Kuchu and Khuri and is celebrated on 5 October. Another major Pochury festival is Nazu which is celebrated for ten days in February. Rengma Tribe are found in both Nagaland and Assam.
The community is further divided into two categories — Eastern and Western Rengma. According to the local folklore, the Rengmas and the Lothas were once part of a single tribe. There are also oral records of a mighty struggle between the combined Rengma villages, and the Lotha village of Phiro.
Slavery used to be a practice among the Rengmas which was a declined by the time the British arrived. The traditional Rengma clothing consists of clothes worn according to the social status and position of the weavers.
Colors, patterns, ethnic motifs and symbols vary acordingly. Rhikho is a white cloth with four narrow black bands and the number of black bands varies with the age of the wearer. It is a dark blue cloth with a very broad median band, with the red zigzag pattern at the edges.
Rengmas are famous for making yellow dye from the flowers of a tree. They also practice painting on cloth. They are considered experts in terrace cultivation and their harvest festival is a time for merriment.
The harvest festival is called Ngada and is an eight-day festival that marks the end of the agricultural season. Ngadah is celebrated just after the harvest, towards the end of November. The village high priest announces the date of commencement of the festival. The Sangtam people are one of the major tribes in Nagaland inhibiting the southern part of the state under the Kiphire district and the Northern part in the Longkhim-Chare sub-division of Tuensang district.
Like many other tribal groups in Northeast India, they practice jhum, or shifting cultivation. Unlike other Naga tribes in Nagaland, many of the Sangtam have retained their traditional beliefs in spite of embracing Christianity at the same time. Sangtams celebrate twelve different festivals, in particular Mongmong, all of which are affiliated with their traditional culture and religion. The Sumis mainly inhabit the Zunheboto district, although many have spread to other districts within Nagaland.
They are also one of the most united and the most aggressive tribe, but despite their ferocity and aggressive nature in warfare, they are also known for their simplicity and honesty. Their loyalty towards their tribesmen and friends is unparalleled. The Sumis celebrate many festivals to mark the beginning of new seasons, harvesting of new crops or victory at war. The two major festivals are Tuluni and Ahuna. Tuluni celebrated on 8th July is a festival of great significance for the Sumi.
This festival is marked with feasts as the occasion occurs in the bountiful season of the year. This midyear festival is a time of communal harmony and merry-making for the Sumi community. Slaughtering of pigs, cows and mithun is an important feature of this festival. Ahuna celebrated on 14th November is a traditional post-harvest festival of the Sumis.
In modern times, Ahuna is celebrated as a major public event with an array of cultural activities of traditional songs and dances, traditional sports and different cultural competitions and with traditional food. Yimchunger is one of the major Naga tribes of Nagaland and the Tuensang district within India and areas of Burma. According to the Yimchunger tradition, the tribe emerged at a village called Moru, and then came to the Jure village.
It could be drawn from the stories and news we get from media. When it comes to Nagaland , it is mostly missing from the mainstream media for its good things.
And there is a lot of mystery around the people, their tribes and practices. It seems to be an almost undiscovered India about which we know very less.
When it comes to travel, it is all about you trusting your instincts and react to people and situations as and when you face them. I decided to peep into their little world and beautiful souls to unfold these mysteries. The people of Nagaland astonished me and made me speechless.
Nagas: the fighters, the soldiers, the head hunters and the strongest people dwelling in the highlands of Northeast India. The Naga is believed to be part of Mongolic people found in areas as diverse as China, the Arctic and Amazonia.
Their glorious past and history have proven Nagas as warriors. Since time immemorial, Nagas have fought their enemies, British Raj and also different tribes to defend themselves and their clan. Loyalty is in their blood. Though the people who belong to the clan of headhunters are indeed warm hearted people.
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