Nagaland (Nagalim) is a nation occupying an area of 120,000 sq. km of the Patkai Range at the tri-junction of China, India and Burma.  Nagalim was apportioned between India and Burma.  The part which India claims is subdivided and placed under four different administrative units: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland states.  The eastern part which Burma claims is placed under two administrative units: Kachin State and Sagaing Division (formerly known as the Naga Hills).  The area inhabited by the Naga tribes is bounded by the Hukawng Valley in the northeast, the plains of the Brahmaputra Valley in the northwest, Cachar in the southwest and the Chindwin River in the east.  In the south, the Manipur Valley marks the point of contact between the Naga tribes and the Kuki tribes.

Q. Who are the Nagas?

The Nagas are from a distinct Mongoloid stock, and they speak languages that belong to the Tibeto-Burman linguistic group.  There are between three and four million Nagas subdivided among approximately 40 tribes.  Traditional Naga religion took various forms of Animism, or nature/spirit worship.  Today, the Nagas are overwhelmingly Christian.

Technically, they are the same; lim is simply a Naga word for land.  However, in 1963 India created a state called ‘Nagaland’ covering a small portion of Nagaland.  To avoid confusion, ‘Nagalim’ is now used to refer to the entire Naga homeland currently bifurcated between India and Burma (Myanmar).

Q. But doesn’t Nagaland State in India satisfy Naga political aspirations? 

No.  It is an Indian-imposed entity which falls far short of their aspirations.  Philosophically, it is based on the unacceptable assumption that the Nagas are simply an Indian minority group, rather than a historically independent people.  Beyond this, it has many practical failings, including the facts that geographically it covers the lesser portion of Nagalim, and whatever local autonomy the state has is limited.

No.  The Nagas were never dominated by any Indian or other power.  Some British colonial control was established in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but when the British left, the Nagas declared independence one day before India.  Mahatma Gandhi acknowledged the right of Nagaland to an independent existence.  The government of India even administered Nagaland through its Ministry of External Affairs until 1976.  Recently, the Government of India acknowledged the “unique history” of the Nagas as a legitimate basis for ongoing peace talks.

That the Nagas were never conquered by any outside power, that they declared themselves a modern, independent nation on August 14, 1947, one day prior to the creation of independent India, and that they never consented to be part of the Indian union.  This contrast with other ethnic groups in India that were either historically integrated into what is today India, or willingly joined the union upon independence from Britain – even though some of them today are unhappy and wish to separate from India.

All major Naga organizations (civil society) have repeatedly supported Naga national goals in various ways.  While many have been guarded in explicitly calling for independence to avoid Indian crackdowns, they have stated their support for various other concrete steps: an end to India’s military operations; a final determination of the India-Nagalim relationship based on the Naga’s unique history; and the realization of a unified Nagalim political and administrative entity.  These pan-Naga groups include the Naga Hoho, the Naga Students Federation, and the Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights.  Even political parties in Nagaland State that cooperate with India have expressed support for some of these immediate goals, and the Nagaland State legislature has repeatedly passed resolutions calling for integration of all Naga areas in present-day India into one administrative and political unit.  In August 2005 over 50,000 Nagas gathered in Kohima, the capital, to lend support to an integration rally.  Most importantly however, visitors to Nagalim consistently report on the depth of the Naga peoples’ nationalism and longing for genuine self-determination.

The most egregious one is the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) - a law passed by the Indian parliament giving Indian armed personnel extensive powers, including the right to shoot to kill with full legal immunity.  This law was passed expressly to fight the Nagas, and is only valid in Northeastern India, where Naga populations reside.  Despite domestic and international criticism, the Indian government refuses to retire or even amend this act to limit human rights violations.  There are also other laws and promulgations which permit activities that would never be tolerated in the United States or any true democracy.

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Only Indian military personnel have been targeted by the Naga army, which has never carried out combat operations outside of Nagalim.  Indian civilians have not been targeted.

Yes, but don’t read too much into this.   Historically, political movements have sometimes been characterized by differences of opinion, personality conflicts, breakups, reunions, etc.  All democratic nations have political parties that sometimes have contentious relationships with each other.  The real issue is the Naga nation’s right to self-determination – supported by the vast majority of Naga organizations and the public, and India’s unwillingness to recognize this.

The NSCN – and the broader Naga nationalist movement – takes a strong stand against illicit drugs and extortion of money from the public.  The NSCN views drugs as a devastating menace to society; it has been involved in fighting drug related crime, has severely disciplined individual members who have engaged in drug trafficking, and runs a rehabilitation center for addicts.  Collection of taxes by the NSCN is wrongly labeled by India as “extortion.”  Every nation collects revenue from its citizens, and Nagaland is no exception.  Tax collection is based on a rational, established policy (percentages of income/profit, etc).  When individual NSCN agents have not abided by the rules, they have been disciplined.  The public has also been reminded, by newspaper ads and other means, to report corruption and misbehavior on the part of NSCN cadres. 

To clarify misconceptions: “national socialist” should not be confused with national socialism, or Nazism.  “National” refers to the Naga nation.  “Socialist” should not be confused with Communism, Eastern European or Chinese-style socialism.  Although modern socialist principles have influenced the Nagas – as they have Western democracies (e.g. social security and medicare in the United States), traditional Naga society emphasized certain collective social principles – sharing, cooperation, lack of a class structure, etc.  It is these ideals which the Nagas wish to retain and reinvigorate as they build a modern nation.

Yes.  Because each tribe has its own language, English is the official language of Nagalim.  Schools and colleges are English medium.

An overall Naga literacy rate is hard to compile given the current situation.  However, Nagaland State has a rate of over 67% - higher than the Indian average.  In some areas of Nagaland, it is pushing 85%.  This is all the more impressive given that pre-modern Naga society was non-literate (no developed form of writing), whereas much of India is composed of cultures that have written scripts – even if only the privileged few were allowed to use them due to the caste system and an oppressive system of social stratification that remains strong to this day.

Nagalim also has a higher ratio of women to men than India, where infanticide (though illegal) is practiced, and gender-based abortion is rampant.  This attests to the much higher status of women in Naga society, where girls are as likely as boys to be sent to school and college, and encouraged to develop marketable professional skills.

Yes.  As part of the developing world, Nagalim suffers from some problems with 100% reliable electric service, but backup generators are readily available, and all urban areas have internet connectivity.  Tellingly, cell phone service in parts of Northeast India (read: Nagalim) was outlawed by India until 2003(?), when the Vajpayee government lifted the ban.

Petroleum is perhaps the most important resource.  India began exploiting this, but was stopped by popular Naga opposition – including even the Indian-run local government.  Reserves have not been fully researched given the current political climate, but are estimated to be at least ?????.  Nagalim also has coal, limestone and other extractable resources.  Forest products, especially timber, are plentiful, in contrast to widespread deforestation elsewhere in South and Southeast Asia.

Q. How can I help? 
A. Sign and circulate petitions such as the one available on this website, publicize the issue at your school or university, volunteer to speak at churches and other public forums, help sponsor charitable causes in Nagalim (e.g.an orphanage or drug rehab center), sponsor a Naga to speak about their plight, write your congressman or an op ed piece, and create a list of press people we should contact.

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