DIMAPUR — The Angami Public Organisation (APO)
has strongly condemned a Nagaland tourism brochure purportedly produced by the
Assam Rifles for containing numerous factual errors concerning the Angami
tribe.
The brochure, titled “Nagaland Tourism: Exploring Culture,
Heritage and Natural Beauty,” has gone viral online.
In a statement on Tuesday, the apex Angami body highlighted
several inaccuracies. “The main photograph featured to depict the Angamis are
not Angamis. The brochure erroneously states that the Angamis are divided into
the following clans, ‘Khoihoyi, Kezhie, Riingu and Khezhü.’ This is totally
erroneous and no such clans exist among the Angami tribe,” the APO said.
The brochure also states that the “Angamis speak the Angami
language, but this again is wrong as the language of the Angami tribe is
Tenyidie,” it added.
Further, the brochure incorrectly links the Chakhesang tribe
to Dzükou Valley, a geographically distinct area within south Angami territory.
“This is a factual error as the Chakhesangs, who hitherto
were called the Eastern Angamis are located in the east of the Naga Hills while
Dzükou valley lies south in the Angami territory and these areas are separated
by the other Naga tribes living in between,” it said.
The APO expressed astonishment that the Assam Rifles, whose
Inspector General (North) is based in the heart of Angami homeland, could make
such significant errors.
“While ‘mistaken identity’ has been a frequent excuse of the
Indian armed forces in dehumanising the Nagas in various forms, such
carelessness can only reflect the attitude of the armed forces towards the
local populace,” it asserted.
Condemning the misinformation, the APO demanded that
publication of the brochure be stopped immediately or that it be recalled if
already published, to avoid hurting people’s sentiments.
It also urged the public “not to rely on any information
published on the Nagas by the armed forces without authentication from the
Nagas.”
Tourism Dept. denies affiliation
Meanwhile, the Nagaland Department of Tourism issued a
statement on its X handle, distancing itself from the brochure.
The department declared that it had “no involvement in the
creation, publication, or distribution of this booklet,” and the “logos,
photographs, and content featured in this publication were used without our
permission or approval.”
Furthermore, “Any claims or impressions that this
publication represents or has been endorsed by the Tourism Department are
completely false”, it said, urging the public to verify information through
official channels and to disregard materials not released directly by the
department.
