For over a century, the formal education system in the land of the Nagas has overlooked one of the most vital components of identity, our own history.
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Thsachopa TS
For over a century, the formal education system in the land of the Nagas has overlooked one of the most vital components of identity, our own history. While the youths are well-versed in world history, only a negligible portion of our educational curriculum addresses the rich and unique heritage of the Naga people.
Before the advent of formal education introduced by British colonial administrators and American Christian missionaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Nagas had a deeply rooted indigenous system of learning. This was centred around the Morungs (Bachelor Dormitories), separate for both male and female youths. These institutions were not mere places of residence; they were vibrant centres of education where elders imparted historical knowledge, moral values, social ethics, economic skills, political understanding, and traditional arts and crafts. They nurtured individuals to grow into well-rounded members of society, ensuring the holistic development of both the individual and the community.
However, with the imposition of colonial educational policies and the introduction of Western cultural norms, these dormitories were systematically dismantled. The traditional learning systems were not just sidelined but actively banned, replaced by a rigid educational model that ignored local knowledge systems and cultural practices.
The colonial administrators and missionaries, in their so-called civilising mission, failed to recognise the value of indigenous education. They saw anything that was not modern or Western as backward, and in doing so, uprooted generations of Naga youths from their cultural foundations. What followed was a steady erosion of identity—not just historical, but also cultural, social, and political.
Today, the youths of Naga grow up knowing more about foreign nations than their own roots. The danger here is profound because when a community forgets its past, it begins to lose its identity, its confidence, and eventually its sense of purpose.
We must advocate for the inclusion of Naga History as a distinct subject in school and college curricula. This should not be a mere add-on in the form of a short chapter, but a comprehensive subject taught with the same seriousness as any other subject. The subject should cover ancient Naga civilisation, oral histories, clan genealogies, socio-political systems, customary laws, ancestral migration, folklore, and the contributions of local heroes and heroines.
There are ample ways to strike a meaningful balance between learning foreign subjects and preserving our own vanishing roots. Modern education need not come at the cost of tradition; rather, it can be enriched by it. If decisive steps are not taken now to embed Naga history into the educational framework, the consequences will be irreversible. A people without knowledge of their past is vulnerable, unstable, and eventually forgotten.