Former Nagaland Chief Minister Senayangba Chubatoshi Jamir has said that being a Naga by blood does not mean a person is indigenous to Nagaland.
Only the Nagas born and brought up in Nagaland were indigenous, he said at the launch of the Nagaland Indigenous People’s Forum in Dimapur on Sunday. Similar is the case with the non-Naga Kacharis, one of 16 recognised tribes in the State, he said.
“A Naga from Manipur, Assam or Arunachal Pradesh is indigenous in his own State but not to Nagaland. A Naga of Manipur cannot claim that he is an indigenous of Nagaland by virtue of being a Naga. Such misconceptions should no longer take place. We have to be very clear about it,” said the 88-year-old Dr. Jamir, also the former Governor of Odisha.
He also advised Nagas not to consider their problems with emotions and sentiments but “study present conditions” while arriving at a definition of indigenous inhabitants.
A signatory of the 16-Point Agreement that brought about the creation of Nagaland in December 1963, Dr. Jamir’s statement has assumed significance, after the State government decided on June 29 to prepare the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN).
The exercise was put on hold a fortnight later as the government needed “consultations and deliberations with participation from all sections and stakeholders”.
The Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, many of whose members are Nagas of Manipur, was critical of the RIIN and said its objective was to divide the community scattered across the Northeast. Along with rival organisations, the group is expected to sign a final agreement with the Centre on a 22-year-old peace process.
