THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY ANNUAL February 4, 1961 The Naga National Council Origins of a Separatist Movement Marcus F Franda It is the purpose of this article to explore the factors which may account for the development of the Naga National Council as a separatist movement in the north eastern portions of Assam. For a number of years after 1947. this movement engaged the Government of India in what at times took on the dimensions of a civil insurrection and which ultimately forced the Indian Government to create a separate State of Nagaland. The new State, India's sixteenth, is its smallest with an area of only 6.0(>0 square miles and a popu­ lation of 350,000 to 400,000 people. The demand for an independent Nagaland was not supported by all the contiguous tribes residing in the hills of Assam, nor was it even supported by all Naga tribes. _ The western must Naga tribes supported the movement, while the eastern tribes - the Konyahs and Kalyo-Kengyus of the Tuensang Division of the North East Frontier Agency refused to sup/xnt the Naga National Council. A comparison of the Nagas with other tribes in Assam, and a comparison of the eastern and the western Nagas may help us to understand the factors which entered into the creation of a separatist move­ ment. THE most obvious contributory with the speakers of the same three annexation of the Khasi and Garo factor to the separatist move­ languages among the two other Hills also meant that they were ment is the differences between the large Assamese tribes, the Garos and late-comers in applying themselves Nagas of the hills and the plains­ the khasis (see Table 1.,). to the task of learning non-Naga men. The fact that the Nagas, The reason why so few Nagas languages. vviih mongolian features, look speak any of the languages of the Antipathy Reciprocal different from the Aryan plains­ plains is largely due to the linguis­ The differences between Nagas men, tended to separate them in tic differences within the tribes and plainsmen can also be seen, in social situations and other con­ themselves. The Khasis and Garos. the area of religious beliefs. While tacts. This was intensified by the each with a uniform tribal langu­ the plains districts, like the rest of association of the Naga, in the age, were able to devote much more India, had traditionallv been almost mind of the plainsman, with a time to the study of non-tribal exclusively populated by Hindus head-hunting. "primitive" tribe languages before and after ventur­ and Muslims, the Naga Hills came whose customs were radically dif­ ing away from the hills. The fact to include a Christian population of ferent from those of other people.. that the Nagas were not conquered 45 per cent. Moreover, few Nagas It is not insignificant that the until 1890, a half-century after the ever converted to Islam or to Council was made up of a number of youths who were unable to ad­ just to the schools of Assam and the cities of India. Ethnographic differences were further accentuated by differences in language. By mid- twentieth century, it was necessary for educated Nagas to learn three or four of their own dialects or languages in order to matriculate in Naga schools and this made it difficult for them to learn the languages of others, if for no other reason than the limitations of time. Since few of the Assamese or Bengalis were able to speak even one Naga language, the linguistic problem was intensified, with the result that Nagas were denied op­ portunities in the plains on the basis of their inability to speak the language. The extent of the problem can be seen by comparing the num­ ber of Nagas who could speak either Assamese, Bengali, or Hindi, 153 February 4, 1961 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY ANNUAL Hinduism, and when they did, it was tinged with traditional Naga animism, The contrast presented by the (faros and khasis is again striking (see Table 2). These differences can be partially attributed to the fact that the mis­ sionary efforts among the Garos and Khasis were not as intense as those among the Nagas. Hut they are also due to the fact that Hinduism and Islam were real competitors in the Khasi and Garo Hills. In the case of the Khasis. the presence of Nagas. This meant that the Khasis lopment schemes as well as some Shillong. the capital of Assam, in and Garos were being taught by measure of self-government. British the hills meant that the tribals were more people from the plains and administrators, including Professor more constantly in contact with re­ thus were more likely to be instruct­ Coupland, reacted by proposing the ligions of the plains. The Garos. the ed by those who had a favourable formation of a British crown colony westernmost Tribe in Assam, had view of plains people 'and culture. comprising the Naga Hill Areas and been in contact with the plains even At the same time, the Nagas were the Naga areas of the North East before the advent of the British getting their education from alien Frontier Agency. The Britishers and had been somewhat assimilated. American Baptist missionaries who argued that these areas were not yet did not know the plains people and ready for independence and that the The feeling of antipathy was re­ did not approve of the majority of special conditions prevailing in the ciprocal in that the plainsmen also their customs. hills warranted their being severed thought of the Nagas in separate from India. Naga leaders who terms. Until independence, the British Offer of Crown Colony Nagas were considered a "frontier were the original members of the tribe" and classified with the unad The differences between Nagas Naga National Council were called ministered tribes on the border, in and plainsmen and the instances of together for the purpose of discussing contrast to the Khasis and Garos conflict between them, even taken the crown colony idea. They were who were considered to be an inte­ together, could not have been solely attracted by a proposal that sought gral part of the plains districts. responsible, however, for the sepa­ to join all of the Naga tribes; pro­ ratist movement since such conflicts mised the eventual transfer of gov­ Exploited by Plainsmen and differences existed also between ernment to Nagas; offered plans for The Naga tribes were never in­ non-Naga hillsmen (including the educational and economic develop tegrated more closely with the Khasis and Garos) who eventually ment; and would sever them from plains districts largely because the agreed to inclusion within the the administration of the plainsmen Naga Hills were not as accessible Indian Union. Though the differ­ Thus when the British abandoned to the plains people as were the ences produced a more pronounced the idea of a crown colony and with­ Khasi and Garo Hills. Also, since feeling of separatism among the drew from India, they left the the Khasi and Garo Hills contained Nagas than among the Khasis and Council with its expectations heigh­ more natural and commercial resour­ Garos, they were still differences tened by the discussion of a crown ces than the Naga Hills, they offer­ only of degree and, taken alone, colony, and face-to-face with the ed greater opportunities to trading might not account for the indepen­ prospect of being incorporated into plainsmen. The accessibility of the dence demand. However, events the regular administration of Assam. Khasi and Garo Hills to plains­ during and immediately following Distrust of Assam Government men also led to a greater degree World War II, peculiar to the Naga The events of the first four years of economic development among Hills and the western Naga tribes these two tribes than among the alone, shaped the extremist position after independence contributed to the Nagas. This can be seen when view­ of the Naga National Council, Not Naga distrust of the Assam Govern­ ing the progress of cultivation from only was the war fought solely in ment. First there was a misunder­ 1921 to 1951. Between these years, the Naga Hill areas of Assam, but standing about the nature of the the average net area sown increas­ also the Nagas alone were offered Hyderi Pact, an agreement reached ed by 18% and 31% respectively a separate crown colony by the in 1948 between the leaders of the British government and were sub­ among the Khasis and Garos, while Naga National Council, the Governor ject to a great deal of freedom from the corresponding figure for of Assam, and the Chairman of Indian administration after inde­ the Nagas was only 4.2%. India's Constitutional Sub-committee pendence. on Assam Tribals. The Council A more complete view of the ex­ interpreted the pact as a ten-year tent to which the Nagas were econo­ After the war, educated Naga treaty, after the expiration of which mically neglected can be gained by leaders made extreme demands on the Nagas would decide whether or a study of Table 3. relating to the government. When the Governor- not to join the Indian Union. They amount of money spent on public, General-in-Council rewarded the were thus surprised to find that they instruction. In this case the Bri­ Naga war effort with the promise were, included in the Indian Union tish government spent more than of a modern hospital at Kohima, a six times as much in the Garo Hills number of Nagas protested that it when the Constitution was promul­ and nearly eight times as much in was insufficient reward and asked gated.