The Brahmaputra Valley, ( Kikho Rang in Lotha dialect meaning, the shores of Brahmaputra ), was like a Magic river as one day an old man went to Brahmaputra valley/ Shores and the spirit of the river told him that, Ocean wave is coming to the Brahmaputra valley and many people will die. So he returned back and told the people that a bad wave is coming and a Song was sung -: Quote ”Ena jopa jowotole, lima ezhu nmhomo ji vena tsaila, Jeni lo ha tikhontale, Yeni loha tikhontale, Pvutso-potso lo ha tikhontale”Unquote. Not long after this forecasts, the waves reached Brahmaputra Valley in the form of a severe natural calamity when the whole of Nagaland was swept by Epidemics of Dysentery and many people died. In this strong wave of Epidemic altogether 36 Naga Villages were destroyed and wiped out. The story of those 36 Villages was confining to the Lotha Naga tribe excluding other Naga Tribes such as the Zeliang, Angami, Phom and Konyak etc although they were also equally affected by the same wave of epidemic and natural calamity. This ancestral story was not told nor related earlier.
The claim over the State of Arunachal Pradesh by China needs to be studied carefully and both the Governments of China and India needs to consult each other minutely. Many years after the British came and occupied Brahmaputra Valley, the British had only economic interests but not political or Social or on human beings thereby they left out the Hills areas like the Himalayan ranges, as well as the foot of Himalayas like Myanmar, Nagaland Mizoram and Tripura etc. British’s economic interests had created Social barriers amongst the Nagas dwelling in the administered and un-administered areas including other Tribes of the North East leaving the Nagas. This divisive policy of the British kept the Nagas of administered and un-administered areas to fight.
The British Governor, viz; Mr. Rich, he had mentioned in his Book, stating that, four Angami Villages,viz; Khonoma, Mezoma, Jotsoma and Kohima raided Nowgong 4 times showing their resentments for occupying their ancestral lands without the permissions and consents of the Nagas. Zeliangs Nagas also conquered parts of Kasi Hills and established a Village namely, Ntonglowa near Guwahati and Nongpho. However, the Nagas did not claim because the Village was willfully uprooted and dismantled and came away to Nagaland and the same Ntonglowa Village was re-established which still exists till date.
At present many historians and story tellers had died and there is practically no one to relate the Naga history.
The Nagas’ claim of the boundary does not include the whole of the Brahmaputra Valley but only a small area which is less than One tenth of today’s Brahmaputra Valley. The Nagas had been making their claims of their ancestral lands only through peaceful negotiations.
TA Ngullie
Ex Minister, Nagaland
