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The Konyaks of Nagaland
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16642 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
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10 / 1989 |
5,102 Words |
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Arun Kumar T.R.
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Like the ways of the tribe itself, the origins of the Konyak are surrounded by myth and folklore. In his thesis on the Konyak tribe, first presented in 1982 at Serampore College, West Bengal, and subsequently published as a book entitled From Darkness to Light, A. Yanang Konyak traces the origin of the tribe to a stone called Longphenghong. The tribe apparently emerged from this stone.
A more realistic version believes that the tribe came from the East. They followed the great river Brahmaputra and settled on a mountain called Longphang. Over the years the people spread out from there. It may be presumed that Yanang Konyak's "myth" in fact refers to the same mountain and that the tribe's emergence from a stone is merely symbolic of their spread from Longphang mountain. Yanang Konyak mentions that it is more or less unanimously agreed that the tribe came through Alamkaphen, which means "gate of the sun" or "the East." Brahamaputra refers to an actual river that still flows through the area; Longphang and Alamkaphen remain myths, although many attempts have been made to identify them with actual locations.
The first recorded mention of the existence of the Konyak is found in the history of the Ahom kings who ruled the adjacent plains that today constitute the state of Assam. The chronicles mention that an Ahom king named Sukapha invaded the region and encountered the tribe in A.D. 1228. The Ahom did not subdue the country and generally friendly relations between the Ahom and the Naga tribes existed from that time forward.
Burmese rule was established over Nagaland in 1819 and ended when Nagaland was gradually annexed, between 1826 to 1892, by the spreading British occupation of India. Early British punitive expeditions and survey parties failed to successfully enter the land of the Konyaks. However, the British were more than aware of the Konyaks' existence and were constantly hoping to reach and subdue them, although no military efforts were ever made. In fact, the Konyak territory remained outside the borders of British India until 1911, when parts of it were brought under British administration.
It was only as late as the 1960s that the influence of the Christian churches and the Indian government finally engulfed the entire tribe. The British, never able to effectively extend their administration to these parts, encouraged missionaries to venture forth and "subdue" the tribes with Christianity. After India gained independence the Indian government neither encouraged the Christian churches nor dissuaded other religions from activity in the area: The Indian constitution permits freedom of religious activity throughout the country. However, Hinduism is not a religion that is preached or proselytized as is Christianity; it does not seek to convert others as the church does (although recently certain Hindu revivalist movements have attempted to make inroads into the country). Consequently the church has taken full advantage of the situation, and today the Indian government, to remain politically popular in the region, is obliged to indirectly promote the church's activity. It must be noted that churches in India are now totally under Indian management and their activity in the region cannot be regarded as "Western influence."
Appearance and tattooing
Traditionally the Konyaks are scantily dressed. They wear almost
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