In the Naga tradition, the belief system that was prevalent prior to Christianity had its own share of omens and observances that were strictly followed in the village. Along with these beliefs that were strongly associated with the traditional belief in spirits there were also many strict observances attached to the polity of the village. These systems that evolved over the centuries in the Naga villages were absolute and unquestionable till the Naga tribes came into contact with Christianity and Western education. Over the years many customs which were found to be in conflict with Christianity, the Western law and also the generally accepted norms of modern civilization slowly died out and so it evolved into the present form. However there are still areas in the traditional system whether it concerns the roles and functions of the members and also the powers and functions of very system itself, it is still unquestioned.
A very unique style of functioning therefore developed in the state where without any written modalities, a protocol was set in place only through conventions and the Nagaland Legislative Assembly ensured that it never enacted laws against the wishes any of the tribes. By convention the lawmakers of the state always first approached the tribal representatives through the respective members in their constituency and a consensus was always arrived at before any legislation occurred. There were instances where allegations that the tribal organisations being swayed by the respective lawmakers in the ruling party and letting such prominent members of its tribe in the Assembly influence the decisions of the tribal organisation. It was a working model that lasted for more than fifty years since statehood.
Unfortunately, there never had been such a contentious issue like the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001, which the tribal organisations and the government were completely on opposing sides without leaving any room for consultation. The tribal organisations state that it was a unanimous no for conduct of the municipal elections that was conveyed to the government but the government decided to go ahead. As mentioned earlier in this column, if the government has the upper hand by the end of the present issue, then the very existence of the tribal organisations are at stake. The idea of the tribal organisations can be traced back to the time of the British when they formed the tribal councils for most of the tribes to assist them in administration. For some tribes it was quite late to have an official body but the idea of the pan–tribal organisation was always present from pre-statehood days. Therefore, all the villages and its citizens are now entered in to some form of social contract to bring about and empower the present tribal organisations. The government of the day is now on the very verge of disrupting such tribal associations due to its strong stand to go ahead with the municipal elections. The disruption is not only from without but will also come from within the tribal organisations since some villages will start opposing their apex tribal organisations’ decisions if it affects any prominent members of its village.
The powers and functions of the tribal organisations are finally being questioned. The jurisdiction of the tribal organisations is being enquired and is now a topic discussed in every Naga kitchen in the state. In the last few days, the efficiency and dynamism of the leaders of the tribal organisations have been displayed for all to see and the youth are now questioning the functioning of their tribal leaders in public. These were all unthinkable acts in the common Naga parlance for many years. However, change is inevitable and issues like the present case can always be used to bring in reforms in the society.
