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Neo- Headhunting

Headhunting is a practice of beheading, displaying, and in some cases preserving human heads for various reasons. The practice of headhunting originated in some cultures from a belief in the existence of a more or less material soul existing in the head. The headhunter sought, through decapitation of his enemies, to transfer this soul matter to himself and his community. Headhunting is thus sometimes found with certain forms of cannibalism as well as with human sacrifice.

The practice of headhunting was prevalent not only among the various tribes of the Nagas but other countries like China, Nigeria, Nuristan, Myanmar, Borneo, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Micronesia, Melanesia, New Zealand etc. It has been, therefore, practiced worldwide. ‘It has been associated (1) with ideas regarding the head as the seat of the soul; (2) with some forms of cannibalism where the body or part of the body is consumed in order to transfer to the eater the soul matter of the victim; (3) with phallic cults and fertility rites intended to imbue the soils with productivity; and (4) with power, prestige, fame and glory. In short it is associated with mortification of the rival, ritual violence, cosmological balance, and the displaying of manhood, cannibalism, and prestige.

The miscellaneous tribes of Nagas were a home to many headhunting people. The entire life of the Nagas revolved around headhunting. It was not only the cause and effect of war; it was also the inscription for the Naga works of art. The primary purpose and function of the practice of headhunting was a part of the process of structuring, reinforcing, and defending hierarchical relationships between tribes, communities and individuals through fighting for dominance, glory and prestige. Inter-village wars, culminating in the taking of the enemies’ heads, were part and parcel of every day life among the Nagas.

Regardless of the arrival of Christianity into the soil of the Naga and the Nagas calling Nagaland a Christian State, the age-old practice of headhunting still carries on in our State. But it has taken the most complex form with the advance of modern sophisticated means and scientific techniques. Gone are the days when our great grandfathers took part in active headhunting for countless reasons. Now we feel proud that such practices do not exist any more in our social fabric.

But still it is very much in our veins and blood. Headhunting is seen very much in our day to day social conflicts. A variety of conflicts existing in our societies is nothing but the residual of the past practice of headhunting, which is now crystallized in various forms of factional clashes. Headhunting continues but the automatic Kalashnikovs and firepower have replaced daos and spears. These weapons or Kalashnikovs are much more powerful in taking away ‘heads’ than traditional doas. These clashes are a sign of lack of solidarity and integration. Obviously, all the Nagas are not aware of the new factional headhunting.

Urbanization and scientific technology have furthered headhunting in the new complex form of factional group clashes and conflicts in our society. In order to reinforce its identity each group is fighting for its preeminence and domination. Each one is fighting for power and supremacy creating havoc in the state of Nagaland. What else can we call these clashes and conflicts in our social fabric except a new form of headhunting?

In the old form of headhunting, innocent women and children were not spared, nor does today’s neo-headhunting. The innocent are the worst victims from primordial time. We ruin ourselves by killing our innocent brothers and sisters. Are we, you and I, aware of it?

Tribalism is the feeling of superiority of one tribe over the other tribes. This superiority complex leads to enmity between persons or groups. Headhunting could be closely connected with the tribalism. Tribalism breeds clashes and conflicts, so does the practice of headhunting. Tribalism is an intricate form of headhunting where effort is made to crush the spirit of other tribes. This tribalism is becoming more and more complex in our state. Nepotism is a new form of tribalism, which is very much prevalent in our society. Favouritism, by acting of kindness to one’s own kindred or tribe or party, breeds enmity between the pubic and the government, the politicians and the bureaucrats.

Looking at our own college, we see and experience tribalism practiced in every activity. A capable person, who could lead the group ably but belonging to a minority tribe, is not give an opportunity to do so due to the practice of tribalism. We forget to stand on moral ground and also forget to use our reasoning power. We become slaves of our feelings and emotions. Tribalism has not changed with Christianity but has taken a new form that co-exists with Naga Christianity. Our religion becomes secondary when there is an ethnic conflict or clash. We are all enslaved by this tribalism. Why don’t we learn from our own history? Why don’t we learn from others? For instance, by looking at the ethnic conflicts between the two tribes Tutsi and Hutu in Africa, we see clearly that the Christians themselves were found killing each other ruthlessly and cruelly. If the Nagas do not learn from history, the ethnic conflicts or clashes between various groups could grow to be worse than those between the Tutsi and Hutu.

Fortunately we have our common enemy “Indian,” under whom we are fighting for freedom, without whom the spirit of tribalism and factionalism or of ‘headhunting’ that is very much present in our blood would have burst, creating chaos in our State. We claim to be a Christian State and take pride in “Nagaland for Christ”. But we are now caught up in the crossfire, in the neo headhunting web which is extremely difficult to give up. But, if we all dare together and collectively voice our concerns, perhaps we can stop this menace of neo-headhunting which is eating away our society. But who will bell the cat? One group clashes with the other creating havoc in our state. Can’t Nagaland be the epitome of tribes, cultures, dialects/ languages of the world- a state that celebrates diversity instead of allowing factionalism and tribalism to breed conflicts and clashes? Can the rainbow of Naga culture continue to shine in the Milky Way? When will the honey of peace and reconciliation reign in our land vanquishing the conflicts, factional clashes, brutality and displacement of the people for good? The choice is ours. Our tomorrow depends on what we decide to do today. Let us choose peace, progress and prosperity. Let go of ‘headhunting’ and start hunting for peace and unity. What do you say?

“They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country. But in modern war that is nothing neither sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason,” says Ernest Hemingway.

Seven Reasons Why a Scientist Believes in God

WE ARE STILL IN THE DAWN of the scientific age, and every increase of light reveals more brightly the handiwork of an intelligent Creator. We have made stupendous discoveries; with a spirit of scientific humility and of faith grounded in knowledge we are approaching ever nearer to an awareness of God.



For myself, I count seven reasons for my faith:

First: By unwavering mathematical law we can prove that our universe was designed and executed by a great engineering intelligence.

Suppose you put ten pennies, marked from one to ten, into your pocket and give them a good shuffle. Now try to take them out in sequence from one to ten, putting back the coin each time and shaking them all again. Mathematically we know that your chance of first drawing number one is one in ten; of drawing one and two in succession, one in 100; of drawing one, two and three in succession, one in 1000, and so on; your chance of drawing them all, from number one to number ten in succession, would reach the unbelievable figure of one in ten billion.

By the same reasoning, so many exacting conditions are necessary for life on the earth that they could not possibly exist in proper relationship by chance. The earth rotates on its axis 1000 miles an hour at the equator; if it turned at 100 miles an hour, our days and nights would be ten times as long as now, and the hot sun would likely burn up our vegetation each long day while in the long night any surviving sprout might well freeze.

Again the sun, source of our life, has a surface temperature of 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and our earth is just far enough away so that this "eternal life" warms us just enough and not too much ! If the sun gave off only one half its present radiation, we would freeze, and if it gave as much more, we would roast.

The slant of the earth, tilted at an angle of 23 degrees, gives us our seasons; if the earth had not been so tilted, vapours from the ocean would move north and south, piling up for us continents of ice. If our moon were, say, only 50,000 miles away instead of its actual distance, our tides might be so enormous that twice a day all continents would be submerged; even the mountains could soon be eroded away. If the crust of the earth had only been ten feet thicker, there would be no oxygen, without which animal life must die. Had the ocean been a few feet deeper, carbon dioxide and oxygen would have been absorbed and no vegetable life could exist.

It is apparent from these and a host of other examples that there is not one chance in billions that life on our planet is an accident.

Second: The resourcefulness of life to accomplish its purpose is a manifestation of an all-pervading Intelligence.

What life itself is, no man has fathomed. It has neither weight nor dimensions, but it does have force; a growing root will crack a rock. Life has conquered water, land and air, mastering the elements, compelling them to dissolve and reform their combinations.

Life, the sculptor, shapes all living things; an artist, it designs every leaf of every tree, and colours every flower. Life is a musician and has taught each bird to sing its love song, the insects to call one another in the music of their multitudinous sounds. Life is a sublime chemist, giving taste to fruits and spices, and perfume to the rose, changing water and carbonic acid into sugar and wood, and, in so doing, releasing oxygen that animals may have the breath of life.

Behold an almost invisible drop of protoplasm, transparent, jellylike, capable of motion, drawing energy from the sun. This single cell, this transparent mist-like droplet, holds within itself the germ of life, and has power to distribute this life to every living thing, great and small. The powers of this droplet are greater than our vegetation and animals and people, for all life came from it. Nature did not create life; fire-blistered rocks and a saltless sea could not meet the necessary requirements.

Who, then, has put it here?

Third: Animal wisdom speaks irresistibly of a good Creator who infused instinct into otherwise helpless little creatures.

The young salmon spends years at sea, then comes back to his own river, and travels up the very side of the river into which flows the tributary where he was born. What brings him back so precisely? If you transfer him to another tributary he will know at once that he is off his course and he will fight his way down and back to the main stream and then turn up against the current to finish his destiny accurately.

Even more difficult to solve is the mystery of eels. These amazing creatures migrate at maturity from ponds and rivers everywhere - those from Europe across thousands of miles of ocean - all bound for the same abysmal deeps near Bermuda. There they breed and die. The little ones, with no apparent means of knowing anything except that they are in a wilderness of water, nevertheless start back and find their way not only to the very shore from which their parents came but thence to the selfsame rivers, lakes or little ponds. No American eel has ever been caught in Europe, no European eel in American waters. Nature has even delayed the maturity of the European eel by a year or more to make up for its longer journey. Where does the directional impulse originate?

Fourth: Man has something more than animal instinct - the power of reason.

No other animal has ever left a record of its ability to count ten, or even to understand the meaning of ten. Where instinct is like a single note of a flute, beautiful but limited, the human brain contains all the notes of all the instruments in the orchestra. No need to belabor this fourth point; thanks to human reason we can contemplate the possibility that we are what we are only because we have received a spark of Universal Intelligence.

Fifth: Provision for all living is revealed in such phenomena as the wonders of genes.

So tiny are these genes that, if all of them responsible for all living people in the world could be put in one place, there would be less than a thimbleful. Yet these genes inhabit every living cell and are the keys to all human, animal and vegetable characteristics. A thimble is a small place to hold all the individual characteristics of almost three billion human beings. However, the facts are beyond question.

Here evolution really begins - at the cell, the entity which holds and carries the genes. That the ultra-microscopic gene can absolutely rule all life on earth is an example of profound cunning and provision that could emanate only from a Creative Intelligence; no other hypothesis will serve.

Sixth: By the economy of nature, we are forced to realize that only infinite wisdom could have foreseen and prepared with such astute husbandry.

Many years ago a species of cactus was planted in Australia as a protective fence. Having no insect enemies in Australia, the cactus soon began a prodigious growth; the alarming abundance persisted until the plants covered an area as long and wide as England, crowding inhabitants out of the towns and villages, and destroying their farms. Seeking a defense, entomologists scoured the world; finally they turned up an insect which lived exclusively on cactus, and would eat nothing else. It would breed freely, too; and it had no enemies in Australia. So animal soon conquered vegetable, and today the cactus pest has retreated - and with it all but a small protective residue of the insects, enough to hold the cactus in check forever.

Such checks and balances have been universally provided. Why have not fast-breeding insects dominated the earth? Because they have no lungs such as man possesses; they breathe through tubes. But when insects grow large, their tubes do not grow in ratio to the increasing size of the body. Hence there never has been an insect of great size; this limitation on growth has held them all in check. If this physical check had not been provided, man could not exist. Imagine meeting a hornet as big as a lion !

Seventh: The fact that man can conceive the idea of God is in itself a unique proof.

The conception of God rises from a divine faculty of man, unshared with the rest of our world - the faculty we call imagination. By its power, man and man alone can find the evidence of things unseen. The vista that power opens up is unbounded; indeed, as man's perfected imagination becomes a spiritual reality, he may discern in all the evidence of design and purpose the great truth that heaven is wherever and whatever; that God is everywhere and in everything that nowhere so close as in our hearts.

It is scientifically as well as imaginatively true, as the Psalmist said: The heavens declare the Glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork.


A. CRESSY MORRISON,

Former President of the New York Academy of Sciences

Manipur- "Little Hell on Earth"

Manipur, one of the tiny states of the Indian Union, a picturesque dreamland with colourful people belonging to different tribes, is at the crossroad of tradition and modernity. Every community has a unique culture and ethnic consciousness and a fierce love of freedom and independence. It has been aesthetically described by many as ‘the land of gems’, a flower on lofty heights’ and the jewel of India’ a term used by Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. It has also merited the name the ‘little paradise on earth.’

Resplendent with nature’s pristine glory, Manipur lies in a melting pot of culture as one of the world’s most beautiful spots. It is a mosaic of traditions and cultural patterns. Every tribe has its own unique culture, dialect etc having the true spirit of patriotism. The lyrical Ras Lila dance and the various spear dances are gifts to the Indian panorama. The people of Manipur love war games. 
There are some burning issues which trouble the State of Manipur, but no one has dared to speak out or to challenge them for fear of bullets. This leads to rampant corruption, bribery, nepotism, violence and a breakdown of law and order. Small minorities have got the lion’s share of government jobs, but the majorities get only the scraps.

To get a job of an assistant teacher in a government school you need to bribe at least two lakh rupees. Due to rampant practices of nepotism and bribery, above all violence, corruption and subjugation prevalent in the State, each community begins to form its own groups- insurgent groups, fighting to better their own community in narrow selfishness. Each group fights for power and supremacy, creating havoc in the State. The chance of development, progress and prosperity seems an impossible dream. The ‘the land of gems’ becomes a ‘land of violence and corruption.’

This ‘Little Paradise on Earth’ becomes the Sodom and Gomorrah of the modern world. Almost everyday there is a strike or bandh or shooting or killing. Innocent people are most often the helpless victims. The internal problems are so acute and complex. Problems in Manipur are far worse than in Jammu and Kashmir. Unlike the issues of Jammu and Kashmir the complex problems in the North-East in general, Manipur in particular, are problems within the state. The Central Government is aware of them, looks down from its comfort table chair but does nothing. It washes its hand of its responsibility to solve the problems of Manipur. This leads to the formation of more insurgent groups fighting for succession from the Indian Union.

There is no respect for human life. It is worse than that of a street dog. Violence and corruption are in their very blood, whether it be army or various insurgent groups. The brain is the central office of all human activities. Just as a machine works smoothly when it is kept well oiled and is not left idle or unused, so too the brain remains active with work. The young hot-blooded school and college drop-outs and even educated people, are left idle forcing themselves to join the various groups for one’s own narrow selfish reasons. Some others join them to fulfil their ideal of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”, considering it to be fair play, and none can be blamed if one wishes to take revenge. The government tries to build a tourism centre in the State. There is not a shadow of doubt that the government alone cannot solve the problems of unemployment. Private sectors will have to come up. But setting private sector calls for a work culture, peaceful political conditions, etc. Despite the practical problems the government tries its best to create more job opportunities to solve some problems.
Every day one sees the reality in the newspapers or T.V news, which cover not even a quarter of what is actually happening in the State. One cannot travel or roam the ‘little paradise on earth’ safely for sight-seeing without an ID Card. Even if you have your ID card, you will be caught for suspicion of being a member of the insurgent groups, detained you in the Thaana for at least a night. A few years ago I happened to witness a terrible tragedy. An innocent youth, my neighbour, was brutally tortured to death without any reason like a cat mercilessly torturing a rat to death in a playful manner, by so called “friends of the hill people” who stayed at Mao Gate. He was, after being mercilessly tortured to death, tied on a tree and shot with some bullets on the dead body. They put some AK47 bullets in his pocket. They cooked up a story, saying that he was a smuggler of weapons and bullets. This is the situation where we the people of Manipur live in the beautiful state so called ‘A Paradise on Earth’. These things are happening not only in the Imphal valley but even in the hilly areas, especially where the army, who ironically claim to be “friends of the hill people”, but in reality they too create havoc in the State.


Those who visit the ‘Jewel of India’ will experience the reality of the State. No one knows when and where one will be getting stuck. No one knows when and where one will be given a tablet for eternal rest. Has Manipur become worse than Iraq? If you were killed you were to be blamed, the incident of your killing would be declared a fake encounter by putting some bullets and even a pistol in your pocket by the army. Don’t be scared, this is the reality.

Every now and then, schools and colleges are forced to close down. Due to strikes, bans etc. the price of commodities shoot rocket high. To construct a house or building, at least a quarter of the budget for the construction will be demanded by various groups at gun point. To install a factory or industry or to repair a road or highway, a quarter of the money will be demanded by various groups and another quarter will be in the pocket of the few bureaucrats. No privates company will come to invest in the State due to complex problems:- political problems, work culture, situation, etc. Besides, the salaries of the government employees usually are delayed for months and months. In this situation, can development and progress be possible?

The legend says that the discovery of Manipur is the result of the delight the gods took in dancing, but the reality says that the present condition/ situation of Manipur is the result of the delight ‘Satan/Evil’ takes in dancing. It is this awful image that gives Manipur its present, unenviable identity “A Little Hell on Earth.”

Despite being ‘A Little Hell on Earth’ the ordinary people are still good at heart, dreaming that they will be able to feed the various insurgent groups and the army with the purest milk of reconciliation, understanding and thoughtfulness, through mutual dialogue, to restore the name ‘Manipur, ‘A Little Paradise on Earth’. 

The Kingship System of the Mao Naga


The Mao Naga tribe inhabits the northern part of the Manipur State- Senapati district bounded by the Angami and Chakhesang Naga tribes in the north, the Maram and Zemi Naga tribes in the west, the Tangkhul Naga in the east and the meiteis in the south. Like any other ancient tribe the history relating to Naga in general and to Mao in particular is steeped in both oral history and legends. There is no authentic written document or any historical record as to the habitation, language and script. The Mao Naga tribe is very peculiar comparing with the other Naga tribes regarding ‘the institution of the kingship’.

We learn from history that ‘might is right’ and that the strongest man would become a leader or a king. But in the history of the Mao Naga’s kingship, it is not the same. In Mao society, kingship began with three brothers namely Pfoneo, Robve-o and Pfose-o. They all vied with each other to settle in Mofuzhu, presently Pudunamei village. The mother, however, was very fond of her youngest son, Pfose-o and she wanted him by any means to settle down in Mofuzhu. She, therefore, thought out a plan. It is this: - the one who returns first after giving a cut mark on a particular tree will have the right to settle down in the Mofuzhu. Accordingly, the race began on the appointed day at a particular hour. The youngest son, as instructed by his mother, cut Chunghosii (its colour turns into light-dark when it is cut) and the other two brothers cut Rhus javanica (omosii, its colour turns into white when it is cut). They adjudged the youngest as the first and then he was allowed to settle in Mofuzhu. The youngest son came into prominence and became the king of the village and other villages as well.

It is important to note that in every Mao village there is a king or chief, who is the supreme authority in the administration and in religion, and who generally manages arbitration between litigants. The king is respected by everyone and is considered only next to God, His representative on earth. It is also believed that God has given more wisdom to him than anyone else and his will is considered as law. He is a man well-known for his personal prowess in war; in diplomatic affairs, in powers of oratory, religious life, etc and his commands are obeyed by the people, in so far they accord with the wishes of the community. In case of dispute or crime, the village chairman, who is the right hand of the king, and the village authorities decide the seriousness of the crime and accordingly, punishment is imposed to the one who commits a crime. The village chairman and village authorities are appointed by the people with the consent of the king.

It is said that the Mao Naga has some settled form of government from the time Ememei or Mao began to settle as a village. They have their own distinctive system of government compared to the other tribes of Nagas. The Kingship system is the most important institution in every Mao village.

The dignity of a king or chief, Movuo in Mao language, is hereditary. In practice, it has been seen from the very beginning that the successor is normally chosen from the incumbent chief’s family. The eldest son succeeds his father. If he (king) has no progeny, his younger brother’s sons- the one with greater quality and ability, personal appearance, religious purity and reputation of valour- can assume the rank. Again, if the sons of his younger brother are not capable to be a king, then any person (usually from the same clan) could be chosen who is known for his bravery, skill in diplomacy, power of oratory, health, good in domestic chores, etc. A king remains in his post till his death. If he is too old to rule his people, he selects a person, usually his own clan, to rule under his charge. It is important to note that in Mao Nagas society no woman can become a chief in the village.

According to the Mao traditions, Pfoseo has to perform all types of religious functions for the good of the Mao villages. Whenever any village performs religious function, Pfosemei or Podunamei king sends his delegate as a representative in their function. However, this practice nowadays has faded away with the coming of Christianity. As a supreme head in religion, he observes gennas as the days of prayer for the economic prosperity and social welfare of his people. In some important gennas if the people fail to observe or obey what they are supposed to, he will impose the same genna again on the following day. Every Genna, therefore, which is proclaimed by the chief, ought to be observed obediently by the people. Whenever the genna is going to be observed on the following day, the chief proclaims at the top of his voice late in the evening on a particular stone at the place called Mani Kasa fii especially in Pfosemei village (Mani-genna, Kasa-proclaim, fii place).

When Genna is observed, the chief prays and performs rituals for his subjects to keep them away from all kinds of sickness, death, poverty etc. There are fifteen important monthly gennas (Ochre lei thin koru) which are to be observed. They are:
1. Ora (means god) mani- on this day, egg is offered to God at the village gate. This is observed in order to free the people from sickness and from death.
2. Tokho Mani- is observed for the good crops, fruits and domestic animals.
3. Pforeshii Mani- is observed that people may be freed from greed and their goods may also last long.
4. Omikazhii Mani- that people may not set fire to other’s house which may cause loss of property and lives.
5. Khehrukashii Mani- that storm may not destroy their houses and properties.
6. Pirii Mani- that the hailstones may not destroy their crops…
7. Ochiikozii Mani- that people may come out of their lethargies and sluggishness and may become prompt and dynamic in society.
8. Ojii (earth) kathi (death) Mani- that the parched- creviced and sterile land becomes fertile and also prays for good rain.
9. Okheshii Mani- that the wild creatures may not destroy the crops (on this day no one is allowed to kill any creature nor even allowed to cut a leaf or grass);
10. Odziikokho Mani- that the rainy season may come on time so that people can cultivate their crops;
11. Omopra koso Mani- that the crops or vegetables may grow fast;
12. Osiira koso Mani- that trees may grow well and bear good fruits (on this day no one is allowed to set fire in fields or forest);
13. Ochiikazhii Mani- that the good weather may overcome the bad monsoon;
14. Molukosii mani- that the earthquake may not destroy property and life;
15.Phehri Mani- that they can defeat their enemies, succeed in hunting and be freed from sickness…
16.
The king observes some more obligations for the intention of his subjects’ welfare. He always sets aside the following days in a Lunar Year for prayer and fasting, so that his beloved people may receive God’s blessings and live a peaceful and harmonious life: 26th January; 11th to 14thth February; 12th to 15th March; 28th July; 25th to 29 November. In addition, the chief also observes a number of taboos. They are: the chief has to abstain from sleeping with his wife on the Genna day; has to leave the house door open; has to abstain from eating sacrificial meat; has to avoid eating food with others; can’t stay in warring village; can’t eat nor rear female pig or bitch; can’t curse others; can’t beat others; can’t marry women accused of theft; can’t steal etc.

There is a myth about the king which says that he should not shit in any other village. Even if he happens to go to a far off place, he has to come back and shit in his village. The significance of this myth is that the king is expected to take care of the village properly by performing his duties well. If he goes away to other places he would not be able to discharge his duties well in his village. There is also a belief that if the king becomes rich, his people will become poor. So, for the prosperity of the village, he must remain poor. The reason for this is that the king, being the most powerful man, could manipulate the people for his advantage and the fact that he becomes rich will be a sign that he is exploiting the people. Another reason for this could be that the king is expected to observe gennas and perform many rituals which requires a lot of time. The fact that he is rich would mean that he works only for him to get rich but does not perform other duties well.

The chief loves his people and treats them as his own children. The people too love him and consider him as their own father next only to God. They show due respect to him. This mutual love and concern which exist between them can be best understood from the following: -
1. The chief is always given an honourable place on all the important occasions, particularly during the time of ‘merit feast’ and other sacrificial feasts (Oraso, Nuvevii ye Ottuzhe kocho). On these auspicious days he receives the right foreleg of a cow killed for a feast.
2. Every household under his kingship gives him a basket full of paddy at the time of inception of the sowing season or after the harvest. It is called Movuo Matikoth. He always initiates the annual seeds sowing.
3. On the feast day of Chiivii kovii, meat is distributed to every household by the host. And also whenever any villager dies, the deceased family distributes meat to every household. On these two occasions, the king always receives a double share of meat.
4. No new village can be established or settled unless the Pfosemei king erects and blesses the first hearth at the proposed village
5. The rich family at times provides a grand feast for the whole village after which a stone is erected to symbolize that he is a rich man in the village.
6. Under the Pfosemei King no village can wage war against any other village without the blessings and proclamation of war genna by him.
7. Whenever any family or individual from the village performs ceremony or sacrificial feast, he is always invited to grace the occasion. He serves the first cup of rice bear (ohaye) and in a conventionally manner, offers a few drops to the mother earth and invokes blessings for the congregation. The chief celebration and the other formalities of the ceremonies begin with his blessings. It is believed that whoever receives the chief’s blessings is said to be always lucky and lives a healthy peaceful life in the future.
8.Even today, on some special occasions especially during the festivals, the king hangs a skull on his neck. The skull signifies that his forefathers were great warriors or he himself was once a great warrior.

In a recent incident (2004), the present Pfosemei Chief’s back was cut with a dao by one of the villagers leaving a big wound on it. According to Mao Nagas customary law the village chief should not have any wound or big scar on his body. He should be physically, mentally and spiritually fit as a fiddle as he has been considered only next to God. So, the village leaders of various Mao villages demanded the resignation of his kingship. But unfortunately there was not non-Christian who was found capable for this post (except a few families, the whole village have embraced Christianity).

The king cannot become a Christian. If he becomes a Christian, he will lose his kingship and he cannot perform rituals and sacrifices according to the customary laws of the Mao Naga. He must hold on to his traditional religion and faithfully perform his duties for the welfare of his subjects. If he becomes a Christian he may forget his duties and even begin to hoard wealth for himself and give to others as gifts or sell his properties to others which cannot be given to anybody except to his successors.

By means of conclusion it can be said that the Mao Naga king and his followers are not Christians by faith but they practice Christian values. They are peace loving people, e.g., before the coming of the British, Pfosemei village made a peace treaty with their neighbouring villages. The first written document of peace treaty was recorded in 1800 between Pfosemei and Khonoma village. They have the spirit of forgiveness, e.g. if a person steals other’s properties or goes against the law, that person can be forgiven if his relatives come and apologies on his behalf. They are very generous especially towards the poor e.g. after the harvest, people keep some paddy in their fields for the poor people to collect them. They always stand for truth and their lives are exemplary. The Mao Naga, therefore, must revive and imbibe the virtues of the ancient and age old traditions and live them out in our daily life. The process of modernization, no doubt, has brought about great changes in the society. But the fact that the king still cannot change his religion is a clear indication that tradition is still very strong in Mao-Naga society.

The Human Touch Has No Substitute

“There is no doubt that is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society are created, strengthened, and maintained,” says Winston Churchill.

Home is sweet home; there is no place like sweet home. “Home is the place where, when you come there they have to let you in,” says the well know writer Robert Frost. Sweet home is much more than knick-knacks and relics. Family, kin and friends, in a world that is as real as complex, are not incidental social artifacts. The good, the bad and the ugly, form the basic unit that everyone belongs to, or desires to belong to- one of the few human conditions that are universal. The Aryan inscribes in one of the oldest literary books, Atharva Veda, “I will make you of one heart, of one mind and free from hate; love one another as the cow loves the calf she has born. Let the son be loyal to his father and of one mind with the mother; let the wife speak sweet and gentle words to the husband; let no brother hate brother not sister hate sister; unanimous, united in purpose, speak you words with friendliness” (Atharva Veda 3,30).

The more the world shrinks, the more one becomes distant from one’s own. Modern technology is a double-edged sword. Superficially it links, but fundamentally it alienates. It is an addition to an overabundance of options that excuses one from making an effort to nurture human contact.

Installing a sophisticated modern technology will alert others - beam images and sounds ensure a virtual table-mate. So one sees what the other is eating, exchanges words and enquiries if the salt is fine. Great indeed! But what is the use of an image if one cannot share the proper smell? Do children experience the warmth and human touch of their parents? On a more shared practical note, what is the use of this thing if time zones dictate that one sleeps while the other eats?

The virtual meal is a precious time. The occasion when we share the ups and downs of life with our own kin is during meals’ time. It is being advertised as a universal remedy to the modern-day condition in which many families are scattered across the globe and cannot be in communion; thus lacking the real love of God, which children do first experience from their parents. One in London, another in California and the other in Mumbai, comes together ay meal time, one plate heaped with different gorgeous items. But each one is left hungry for companionship and love. There is a big vacuum left in the heart, mind and soul. What can fill that gap? Is it pleasure or money or latest gadgets or gold…? That void cannot be filled by anything except warmth, love and touch of our parents and loved ones.

Installing the latest modern technology offers a substitute but can never measure up to physical interactions and warmth. A hug confers warmth but not a handwritten note or phone calls or visual internet phone calls. A phone call facilitates speech but cannot eliminate emotional distance. A meal might be taken together, but cannot satiate our longing for love. Some things always belong to the realm of the human contact and love; nothing can substitute that.

Finding time to spend together as a family becomes very difficult in this complex world. In many a household, either parents have to go for work or children have to go to school or tuition or other activities, this prevents them coming together to spend time with each other as a family. The deep familial bond has faded away nowadays. Children grow up with the feeling of being unloved and uncared for, which often leaves deep scars their minds and character. One easy and effective method or occasion to convey to children that they are indeed special is to dine together. Dinner taken together has the divine power of strengthening the bonds of love among the family members. There is an axiom that, “The way to a person’s heart is through his or her stomach.” A meal prepared with love and eaten together has all the ingredients necessary for making a happy and sweet and healthy family, home and society.

Sharing a meal is not merely eating some delicious food that is set before us; but it is an investment of time for the wellbeing of the family. Socrates, the famous philosopher rightly reiterates, “If I would get to the highest place in Athens, I would lift up my voice to say, ‘What mean ye, fellow citizens, that ye turn every stone to scrape wealth together, and take so little care of your children to whom ye must one day relinquish all?’” An important element in the upbringing of children is investing in quality time with children. Being available to one’s family members is the most valuable gift we can give and receive from one another.

Meal times also provide a perfect ambience to dialogue with one another. When our parents pay careful attention to what the children are saying; these feel assuring that parents are genuinely concerned about what is happening in their life. Sharing of ideas, jokes, plans and progress, joys and sorrows of the family members can take place at the moment of the meals. The wave of distant communication may be very strong, but physical warmth has its zenith at the time of meals.

Dining together is a precious moment where the entire family can invoke the divine. A prayer of grace before and after the meal will create an attitude of gratitude and graciousness in the family to God. A child, who experiences such exhilaration at the dining table, will surely and steadily learn a lesson to appreciate life and become as asset to society.

“Where family prayer is daily said, God’s Word is regular read, and faith in Christ is never dead, that is a Christian home. Where family quarrels are pushed aside to let the love of God abide ere darkness falls on eventide that is a Christian home. Where joy and happiness prevail in every heart, without a failure and thoughts to God on high set sailing that is a Christian home. Where Jesus Christ is Host and Guest, through whom we have eternal rest and in him are we forever blest, that is a Christian home,”( author unknown).


Civic Consciousness

            Does our education system truly liberates u, make us mature, wise, helpful, responsible, civic conscious? If our educational system fails to inculcate in us noble ideals, it is a failure. We all have a great desire to change our society, friends etc. however, we forget the basic rule i.e. changing others comes only when we change ourselves. True education makes a person ‘civic consciousness. The absence of ‘civic Consciousness’ is our basic problem in our today’s Naga society.
            We are in the 21st century which is a stage for many changes on the fast track. Change in culture, change in the food habits, change in the mode of living and of course the change in the system of education. Every part of a person’s life is struck with many changes. Surprisingly change in our approach towards society is not very visible. We are conscious of change s in the technological field but not in our civic life. We are lagging behind in an area of ‘civic consciousness. The primitive people seem to be more advanced than us. An uphill task awaits us in this area. Change is possible but it is difficult.
            If you happen to visit some of our government offices, public places, educational institutions like ours etc., you are sure to experience or witness a cultural shock. Here is where you find, ‘the problem of everybody is doing it’. The original colour of our buildings, toilets etc. are replaced by public choice colours and have become dustbins. We are educated but without civics consciousness. Many of us, though well educated, have not yet learned to practice civic life when we move out of our houses. We are bombarded with the latest technology and fashion, yet we are poor in civic consciousness. We eat sweets, chew this and that but still we have not learn how we should eat and chew. An example is the way in which we discard our waste. The level of ‘civic consciousness’ we possess is not consonant with the level of our dressing style and the level of education we achieve.
            A civilized society disapproves certain kinds of behaviour of people but it always accepts and accommodates them. Oh!!!! Acceptance does not mean approval. This is the attitude with which our Naga tradition and culture evolved. Inclusion of everyone in society is the basic characteristic of our Naga society. This inclusiveness should not be understood wrongly as inclusion of the unhealthy and scandalous behavior of people, which needs constant correction and change towards betterment.
            As college students we enjoy more rights which we never had in our school days. On the other hand we have responsibilities and more duties as matured students, which one cannot expect from a school student. Usually in Nagaland we could see garbage around the dust bin not in the bin. It is our duty to help the management to keep the campus clean. After all ‘cleanliness is next to Godliness’.