tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65967840377286263662024-02-25T13:13:22.060-08:00Nagaland MusingsAli Josthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08455827352741177837noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6596784037728626366.post-23267927369361279372013-01-06T04:09:00.000-08:002013-01-06T04:09:09.706-08:00Will Nagas Maintain their Indigenous Traditions? A Tour of the Khonoma Village<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Yesterday,
Mike and I traveled about one hour outside of Kohima on a very rough dirt road
to the Angami village of Khonoma. Khonoma sits on the ridge of the mountains
and is blessed with ample water supply for its abundant rice paddy and
vegetable harvests. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRnFoN10sN3fR9sBKIusVxbjcSk5-XzDWCwD7QFOYuYyWIBiPM8XqO0JwSdYDvndXjj2gAbbZte-mXswb5PdW-6KrOI4CAh2zWAI-tfXnMPuool9yctCOvKcMgHXbvhEAQujFMm7wHp_K3/s1600/Male+meeting+with+view.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRnFoN10sN3fR9sBKIusVxbjcSk5-XzDWCwD7QFOYuYyWIBiPM8XqO0JwSdYDvndXjj2gAbbZte-mXswb5PdW-6KrOI4CAh2zWAI-tfXnMPuool9yctCOvKcMgHXbvhEAQujFMm7wHp_K3/s320/Male+meeting+with+view.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional circle where men would congregate, share stories, <br />and drink rice beer. In the distance, you can see the rice fields<br />where the women would work.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The village became well known for their successful defense
against the British who invaded and eventually took over in 1876. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOSpAZrboljQG16N7WG5tM3gZVdgWLXDqRK_qFZ4LX1cgTt1U9Klj5AnHokMqwjl1GwFRISNRg70Nwo6FUUn3-hrEeKExCsP98hwxn0AGMUTMIEFtd0W2CsR61YGz6pBHTgxyfbNL88Dr/s1600/Khonoma+house.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOSpAZrboljQG16N7WG5tM3gZVdgWLXDqRK_qFZ4LX1cgTt1U9Klj5AnHokMqwjl1GwFRISNRg70Nwo6FUUn3-hrEeKExCsP98hwxn0AGMUTMIEFtd0W2CsR61YGz6pBHTgxyfbNL88Dr/s320/Khonoma+house.png" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0N5qoBUjFOGoXYZ6y56hXdXIfJFo2Kq-kUGw3mfrDOY_qKTiLQWgKhxXoA27kNPHYMo6zm5M_g-qHqzv0lIJIEbJDWPp-U2oGes45cYB7qs3x2foyZ-Gvae3BYQAQgxSBQtklk97-oCe/s1600/Best+weaving+shot.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0N5qoBUjFOGoXYZ6y56hXdXIfJFo2Kq-kUGw3mfrDOY_qKTiLQWgKhxXoA27kNPHYMo6zm5M_g-qHqzv0lIJIEbJDWPp-U2oGes45cYB7qs3x2foyZ-Gvae3BYQAQgxSBQtklk97-oCe/s320/Best+weaving+shot.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woman weaving male shawl. This particular design<br />commemorates the 100th Anniversary of the Baptist <br />church in Khonoma</td></tr>
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Today, Khonoma is quiet, beautifully kept, and villagers maintain
many of the traditional Naga ways. The women weave and wear traditional shawls. Men hold
all-male town meetings to manage the town affairs. People live in wooden houses with ornately carved doors and statues. Women continue to tend to the rice paddy fields. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><!--EndFragment--><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3t15tkxNVN7qDZY_jI6skUs5t39M1J6WibDriZHHmeP79o0mV4EVwV6JwqvhVLJAQAsPo0QCLZvCIZPqeau9pKkDXGPyu5jBTobZcB4ZJgO4NxC-XPgKTDf1E8d485Roa3PRpQdIapa4/s1600/Ali+Weaving.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3t15tkxNVN7qDZY_jI6skUs5t39M1J6WibDriZHHmeP79o0mV4EVwV6JwqvhVLJAQAsPo0QCLZvCIZPqeau9pKkDXGPyu5jBTobZcB4ZJgO4NxC-XPgKTDf1E8d485Roa3PRpQdIapa4/s320/Ali+Weaving.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A picture of me in 2009 doing a similar style weaving done<br /> by women in Guatemala who trace their roots to the Maya.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 19.09090805053711px;">Though the population appeared to be aging, there were still kids in the village and it does appear that these Nagas will continue many of their traditional ways. One always wonders how long that will last? Within Kohima, just one hour away, it feels like a different world. In Khonoma, few villagers speak English and instead are speaking their traditional Angami language, as well as Naga Mis -- which is the lingua franca of Nagaland, a tonal language that allows the Naga people to communicate across tribes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 19.09090805053711px;">We enjoyed a traditional Naga meal, prepared in a wood-fired kitchen. I am not a meat-lover, so it was not my favorite food. But the Nagas have always eaten lots of chiles and their cuisine is complex, consisting of smoked and fermented meats, bamboo shoots, and lots and lots of fatty pork.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our lunch in Khonoma</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naga kitchen. Nagas will eat their meal around the fire (and stove)<br />while perched on stools.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nagas hang their meats for up to 4-5 years to dry naturally, <br />without any additives. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixW-sZL-g81_gBQqH75EhLP96JF9H70BllvV0cijk521BLko-AtUivAIMoD_mGs6Jw9YVNo65ZA7KFi7Tx7yH12STLT3pvuV0UCkn0-FluXPYPpRo8X1x2QvFdpATCYKggVJWVu0JE_U4o/s1600/Naga+Pork.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixW-sZL-g81_gBQqH75EhLP96JF9H70BllvV0cijk521BLko-AtUivAIMoD_mGs6Jw9YVNo65ZA7KFi7Tx7yH12STLT3pvuV0UCkn0-FluXPYPpRo8X1x2QvFdpATCYKggVJWVu0JE_U4o/s200/Naga+Pork.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nagas broil their pork and mix it with hot chiles. <br />The pork is very fatty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRESUdisnFp4Z9PMbA3oo5SSEvLRNxi96DAIofAUpTO00oYm6Y957BOOoUYN12FCys6MXcY-f8Qy3uNwAueDSG5JExi_ieuBbJcdxQzsl0N_DkG8O-YKsujqMhBVGjt-G3Ps8C33Lx75Do/s1600/Pig+closeup.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRESUdisnFp4Z9PMbA3oo5SSEvLRNxi96DAIofAUpTO00oYm6Y957BOOoUYN12FCys6MXcY-f8Qy3uNwAueDSG5JExi_ieuBbJcdxQzsl0N_DkG8O-YKsujqMhBVGjt-G3Ps8C33Lx75Do/s320/Pig+closeup.png" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nagas keep their pigs right outside of their houses in<br />little houses and feed them daily. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rauJaQQyrDcGQzl6KVaoUf12uRUrAhz9UzHLb11dYm-4LcvrixyTtQyjKQum8cI5LCxgpDybEFnyYNs0GXgCLXZTsQX8plrRt8H-Mi73kqBSbWzYkmFBy7RbhAQt0K-BG0RBh1x4FQ0J/s1600/Greens.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rauJaQQyrDcGQzl6KVaoUf12uRUrAhz9UzHLb11dYm-4LcvrixyTtQyjKQum8cI5LCxgpDybEFnyYNs0GXgCLXZTsQX8plrRt8H-Mi73kqBSbWzYkmFBy7RbhAQt0K-BG0RBh1x4FQ0J/s320/Greens.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These greens are a type of cabbage that grown on a stalk.<br />Mike and I saw this same plant in abundance in Croatia.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 19.09090805053711px;">After lunch, Mike and I went on a tour of our host's kitchen garden. He was growing all kinds of traditional herbs, including ginko, that had cures for malaria, kidney stones, high blood pressure, stomach aches, and diabetes. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEViAE7lzLQfPTz1Rn0km0QaYe5SH01Hb-jqnajEk4jW_SObAuDvRfh6mVnssxK9gLhWXgdx4nvhJpguaL1KmGHN4vjfxnBct8LebsOTtocLwbuN-ROgC6rCcOrLZ1ei92GYPvaJEf4P4M/s1600/Honeybees.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEViAE7lzLQfPTz1Rn0km0QaYe5SH01Hb-jqnajEk4jW_SObAuDvRfh6mVnssxK9gLhWXgdx4nvhJpguaL1KmGHN4vjfxnBct8LebsOTtocLwbuN-ROgC6rCcOrLZ1ei92GYPvaJEf4P4M/s320/Honeybees.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our host was also keeping honey bees!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px; text-align: center;"></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSdDAdc5soPSlaMNcRXBFYpQzSfz-KEcbn4qkMbEUW-RxzILvjwXVgplB3dbbmPnZA5zEXTmSl0isWdEXf4V8laAfcKt8wHlFxkbRASyIALuO7IaS9jBU9wq7czZQezHRlWeztrFbrL7o/s1600/Tiger+Skin.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSdDAdc5soPSlaMNcRXBFYpQzSfz-KEcbn4qkMbEUW-RxzILvjwXVgplB3dbbmPnZA5zEXTmSl0isWdEXf4V8laAfcKt8wHlFxkbRASyIALuO7IaS9jBU9wq7czZQezHRlWeztrFbrL7o/s320/Tiger+Skin.png" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">Throughout the
village, Mike and I saw remnants of the tigers and elephants that used to live in the Naga hills. The hunting Nagas have killed off many animals, and recently their are efforts to ban hunting except at certain </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14pt;">times of the year.</span><!--EndFragment-->
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Ali Josthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08455827352741177837noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6596784037728626366.post-86785825694490193642013-01-05T22:21:00.000-08:002013-01-06T03:19:52.227-08:00India's Untold Genocide of the Nagas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 19.09090805053711px;">Since I am about to leave Nagaland, it's time to write about the largely untold war and genocide that has defined this region since the British arrived in 1832. While Mike and I are staying in the most peaceful region of Nagaland at perhaps the most peaceful moment in its history, the past is present. Underneath the surface of a proud and forward-thinking people are wounds that will take generations to heal.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKsh0rTwD_QOtRFjFJg_zfT1M7-lPeIlkyEyzDil77r5Y_Pdr1ZDlXuuLQsB7O2MCalf9BarRxkJuR3zS90eKtmGPMagV60NinGNtroqLKQw7XwfhgzzEIi-7vl50c55vu7LcIS_AQ85M/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.27.36+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKsh0rTwD_QOtRFjFJg_zfT1M7-lPeIlkyEyzDil77r5Y_Pdr1ZDlXuuLQsB7O2MCalf9BarRxkJuR3zS90eKtmGPMagV60NinGNtroqLKQw7XwfhgzzEIi-7vl50c55vu7LcIS_AQ85M/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.27.36+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 19.09090805053711px;">Timelines help me to make sense of the various waves of British colonizers, missionaries, Indian Government advances and attacks, and various Naga independence movements that have fought over this remote area in Eastern India. Since there is so little information out there on the Naga people, I felt it was important to get this out there—and I hope it may serve as a launching pad for those who study or travel to this area in the future.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtd70mNo42c7T0QfsrgbGFjTd8e1npod7o-AgpnmjL2gmYh_x8Smg-YiahxItua-BcruDPv-mCQS9E1q9MLa1N0lAHmY_ZIJOFCURsVPR1F93mTeWCG8kWIbWGKSguvExeiPvQ85nzzV8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.27.22+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtd70mNo42c7T0QfsrgbGFjTd8e1npod7o-AgpnmjL2gmYh_x8Smg-YiahxItua-BcruDPv-mCQS9E1q9MLa1N0lAHmY_ZIJOFCURsVPR1F93mTeWCG8kWIbWGKSguvExeiPvQ85nzzV8/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.27.22+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thought battered, these signs are hidden around Kohima.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Timeline of the Naga People<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Please
note that this is a rudimentary timeline constructed from two major sources—<i>A Pilgrimage to the Nagas</i> by Milada
Ganguli and <i>Between David and Goliath</i>
by Frans Welman. Both books are excellent sources on the Naga history and the
more recent politics of the Naga fight for independence from India. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlIJflVDzP3LjPDCBbxLJb7x8CIHse8U2qD_W8N-oiZqxI8-AkB_Y6oYAjS_K0qZ8W6TTqdVzw_YYUIDzeDGfMkyITKW1FAbPLg-0gzsxJX4Sew4LLqoCFbF8zTkbVHkIhwF2zjpqhZCZ/s1600/Male+town+meeting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlIJflVDzP3LjPDCBbxLJb7x8CIHse8U2qD_W8N-oiZqxI8-AkB_Y6oYAjS_K0qZ8W6TTqdVzw_YYUIDzeDGfMkyITKW1FAbPLg-0gzsxJX4Sew4LLqoCFbF8zTkbVHkIhwF2zjpqhZCZ/s320/Male+town+meeting.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional all male village meeting in Khonoma, <br />
an hour drive from Kohima</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Pre- 1832 – </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Naga warriors from the
Angami, Ao, Rengma, Konyak, Zeliang, Lotha, Chakhesang, Yimchungru, Chang, Dimasa,
Garo, Phom, Sema, Khiamniungan, Kuki, Lotha, Pochury, Sangtam, and Sumi tribes live
in their <a href="http://nagalandmusings.blogspot.in/2013/01/naked-warriors-and-dancers-recent-naga.html">traditional ways</a>, mostly isolated from outside influence. <i>(Note: the
Ao’s who were more accessible via the plains of Assam traded more regularly
with the Hindu kingdoms of Assam.) </i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> The Naga's world was small, but also rich with customs. They held <i>gennas, </i>festivals to promote the growing
season and celebrate their warrior prowess. They carved ornate wood sculptures,
wove shawls and clothing (that slightly resemble some of the works of the
indigenous communities I have come to know in Peru, Mexico and Guatemala). They
hollowed out larger tree trunks to make large drums that they used to
communicate from far distances. They domesticated a native bison called the
Mithun. They made rice beer, smoked tobacco and sometimes opium. They sang and
danced. And of course, they <a href="http://nagalandmusings.blogspot.in/2013/01/skipping-industrial-revolution-from.html">head hunted</a>.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdokL6Lp4P4EhCGFdu4PLsd5xyQQkpWx4tcnXsLghOSA21D23yPj6dIayT52AG05J-n4JPvJBDba3blWqcASlV8wJa3jOAu-tfFmIIHkuPjsSU5FlItEuyXerfbec7tiGGfITO0f4_RUK/s1600/Women+carrying+basket.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdokL6Lp4P4EhCGFdu4PLsd5xyQQkpWx4tcnXsLghOSA21D23yPj6dIayT52AG05J-n4JPvJBDba3blWqcASlV8wJa3jOAu-tfFmIIHkuPjsSU5FlItEuyXerfbec7tiGGfITO0f4_RUK/s320/Women+carrying+basket.png" width="182" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXrMdhboT5Q_w31zXgvmSK1KLul4Hwh1Gg0TsgHF1LEG0p48YIvbaBxRILrtt4W-fgmBLuGEQ3X5c7je1PdsXa_TZwBJiQ6cqFRc9OaqSBYGscOJgZUZGOBSVTQW4EtnUaO8iF19GDGEx/s1600/Smoked+measts+closeup.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXrMdhboT5Q_w31zXgvmSK1KLul4Hwh1Gg0TsgHF1LEG0p48YIvbaBxRILrtt4W-fgmBLuGEQ3X5c7je1PdsXa_TZwBJiQ6cqFRc9OaqSBYGscOJgZUZGOBSVTQW4EtnUaO8iF19GDGEx/s320/Smoked+measts+closeup.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nagas "smoked" their meats by hanging them in their wood-fired kitchens. They would cut off small pieces to add to spicy shutneys.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<!--StartFragment-->
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1832 – </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">First British Military
officers attempt to raid Angami villages in the southern part of today’s
Nagaland (near where Mike and I have been staying.) This begins 50 years of
warfare between British soldiers and Naga villages. During this time, thousands
of Nagas died defending their lands and their ways of life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1839 – </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">US Baptist Missionary Reverend
Miles Bronson attempts to convert the Nagas in the northern part of Nagaland.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1876 - </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">US Baptist Missionary Rev.
Clark from Boston establishes first Christian town among the Ao tribe in a
place called Molungyimsen in northwestern Nagaland.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2vFgkT7wKugzlMU8WgDcBCBfej51gM1wb5OBrQlm9gWs76J6zNYwyMfOjAAMBLJzePvQnnN2Wb7WipNFpHZ6OBYPYsHwNgV3cPzbvyPraEhoN_aACMj8RxY49MmMoEHgAeOxT1POTh7h/s1600/Damant+Memorial+Khonoma.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2vFgkT7wKugzlMU8WgDcBCBfej51gM1wb5OBrQlm9gWs76J6zNYwyMfOjAAMBLJzePvQnnN2Wb7WipNFpHZ6OBYPYsHwNgV3cPzbvyPraEhoN_aACMj8RxY49MmMoEHgAeOxT1POTh7h/s200/Damant+Memorial+Khonoma.png" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorial in Khonoma to High ranking <br />
British officer killed in battle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1878 – </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">British forces take city of
Kohima in southern Nagaland. This British India victory was significant and
marked the first solid takeover of about 1/3 of what is today’s Nagaland. As a
result of the fierce defense by Naga warriors, the British Indian soldiers left
the other 2/3 of Nagaland as a free Naga frontier territory. Even within the
1/3 that British India controlled, Naga’s maintained separate village councils,
which still function today. Also at this time, the British </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: medium;">penalized acts
of Naga head hunters by burning down the </span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 19.09090805053711px;">perpetrators'</span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: medium;"> villages and tendering extreme fines.</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZGQBlr79GeMfd8OfjQQ3R7W1mCDg3gx0svY_HZheUVyYiiY-J7YstObQ0lGtXL9fpVdpU7lI93tR4ofhaF5-j5nQAtdR9pp9aLf7m9uuSDKK3_JH-tUig6egWRzayWXk3l4IdPScKlSQ/s1600/Khonoma+WAr+memorial.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZGQBlr79GeMfd8OfjQQ3R7W1mCDg3gx0svY_HZheUVyYiiY-J7YstObQ0lGtXL9fpVdpU7lI93tR4ofhaF5-j5nQAtdR9pp9aLf7m9uuSDKK3_JH-tUig6egWRzayWXk3l4IdPScKlSQ/s400/Khonoma+WAr+memorial.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of very few memorial to the Nagas who died fighting the British. Note, that<br />
I have seen no memorials for the Naga who have died in battle with India.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1929 – </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Naga Club (one of the
first unified organizations across Naga tribes) sent a formal memorandum to the
British Commission stating that they would not join India when the British
departed. (This request was later ignored.) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbILa0BfbOqmeb2m8qwZ44wkndKsK4Dn8u47lZihNZjV7ve0S0LG5YXxKcWFb-uWDkpNk2rqI4JvbCLMnv4MHyGpYliXJYgnBrMC4LdyIm87xohXLCtoaF3ubK0AZvheIWsKZotP3gLklT/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-06+at+5.28.58+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbILa0BfbOqmeb2m8qwZ44wkndKsK4Dn8u47lZihNZjV7ve0S0LG5YXxKcWFb-uWDkpNk2rqI4JvbCLMnv4MHyGpYliXJYgnBrMC4LdyIm87xohXLCtoaF3ubK0AZvheIWsKZotP3gLklT/s320/Screen+shot+2013-01-06+at+5.28.58+AM.png" width="227" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>1929</b> - A famous female Naga freedom fighter, <b>Rani Gaidinliu</b>, emerges from the Rengma tribe in Zelialong area of what is today the hills of Manipur. She went on to be jailed by the British for 14 years before returning to her village, where she continued small-scale efforts to maintain the traditions of her people and maintain independence from the British. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>1944 - </b>The famous <a href="http://nagalandmusings.blogspot.in/2013/01/world-war-ii-battle-of-kohima-1944.html">Battle of Kohima</a> in WWII is fought beween the British and Japanese. British win while Japanese claim Burma.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1946- </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Naga National Council
(NNC), first formal political organization of the Naga people, was set up to
negotiate their secession from British India and India.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1947 – </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Indian National Independence<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1947 – </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Naga National Council
(NNC) declares independence from India.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1948</span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> – The
new Indian government begins raids of Naga villages in what is now Manipur,
south of present day Nagaland. These raids continue for the next decade. NNC
elders are hunted down and killed. The Indian government attempts to legitimize
their genocide of the Nagas by identifying them as dangerous insurgents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1958</span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> – The
Indian government passes the <b>Armed
Forces Special Powers Act,</b> which gives them the right to <b>“shoot to kill”</b> on mere suspicion of
“insurgency.” The Indian army, Assam Rifles, goes on
to kill over 100,000 Nagas, rounding them up into 59 concentration camps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1964 –</span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Ceasefire
and peace talks begin between the Indian Government and the NNC. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmSpp12zj8OlBPRqoBOdhSO6Is6QsxPo3ad7umdnkw-LeqIIm7ta0g1CI2qNOYoEyhn1bSdrYt0-MX5lR0iO-zV7YGr-pL8J_NVVDEj0W1VxJ21SXVXklXSmblqYR9FSaqOrA2kKjLn8U/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-06+at+5.35.38+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmSpp12zj8OlBPRqoBOdhSO6Is6QsxPo3ad7umdnkw-LeqIIm7ta0g1CI2qNOYoEyhn1bSdrYt0-MX5lR0iO-zV7YGr-pL8J_NVVDEj0W1VxJ21SXVXklXSmblqYR9FSaqOrA2kKjLn8U/s320/Screen+shot+2013-01-06+at+5.35.38+AM.png" width="282" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1964 - </span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"> The
Indian government grants the area that is now </span><b style="font-size: 14pt;">Nagaland statehood</b><span style="font-size: medium;">. This leaves out Naga tribes that are in today’s
Burma, Manipur and Assam. Although statehood brought the beginning of peace to
some Naga villages, it also formalized a system of </span><b style="font-size: 14pt;">divide and conquer</b><span style="font-size: medium;"> that the Indian government has used to maintain
control over the Naga people up until today. The Indian government would fund
and arm different Naga insurgency groups to promote infighting. Today, many
Naga people can trace the murder of family members to Naga insurgency groups
that were funded by the Indian government. This internal conflict makes efforts
to unite the Naga people and </span><span style="font-size: 19.09090805053711px;">secede</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> from India difficult.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1966 - </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Through peace talk
negotiations, Mrs. Indira Ghandi offers a Bhutan-like independence for the Naga
people, but the NNC rejects the offer. Peace talks break off. The Indian
government begins an active campaign to eliminate Christianity and force the
Naga people to accept Hinduism. Christian Nagas are denied education and armed occupancy by the Indian army returns to Nagaland.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1972 - </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">International boundary
between Myanmar and India is formed. The border goes directly through some Naga
villages (including one family’s home.) The killing of the Naga people by the
Indian government and among the various Naga insurgency groups continues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1975 - </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">India imposes the <b>Shillong Accord </b>– which forces the NNC
and other Naga leaders to accept the Indian Constitution and hand over their
arms. Some leaders, battered by years of mass killings, surrender and accept
the Indian government terms. Others formed splinter groups. The infighting
among Naga groups continues. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1980 - The
National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) is Formed </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">in resistance to the NNC.
Infighting continues among the Naga political groups as does the presence of
the Indian military.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1988 - NSCN</span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <b>Splinters into two groups: NSCN led by Khaplang and NSCN – led by Isak
and Muivah. </b>The Indian government maintains its divide and conquer approach
to keep the Naga people from uniting against the Indian government.<b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjemaco56lSOPCcqBYgoZYPooZbUliNTZc-wAGWbVfOgWNa-fkaJNr2T-gTm-u0YQpe9IAUfnDj0OPrxcSupuwoMHosgalx1tPs9uudGwoWF0yvrxUO27ZCWjEZ4exogstbigAcsnEb6NQ_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.28.05+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjemaco56lSOPCcqBYgoZYPooZbUliNTZc-wAGWbVfOgWNa-fkaJNr2T-gTm-u0YQpe9IAUfnDj0OPrxcSupuwoMHosgalx1tPs9uudGwoWF0yvrxUO27ZCWjEZ4exogstbigAcsnEb6NQ_/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.28.05+AM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1997 - Peace
talks begin again</span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">. The Indian government realizes that armed occupancy will not solve
their problem with the Naga people. Peace talks take place over the coming
years in Amsterdam and in New York.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DBCSCbTWchZrteuCX6h6lKvqLgf1gWavIhHTo01qZ9SRTckCoyuhExGRvb1oztzVj2344f3WUc04EjB-AANQ37dIaILA0rptgIiHBfI2En8G3GTG9JeAFSYpjHeCQJbOrw7-Y_IB4vdD/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-06+at+5.43.07+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DBCSCbTWchZrteuCX6h6lKvqLgf1gWavIhHTo01qZ9SRTckCoyuhExGRvb1oztzVj2344f3WUc04EjB-AANQ37dIaILA0rptgIiHBfI2En8G3GTG9JeAFSYpjHeCQJbOrw7-Y_IB4vdD/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-06+at+5.43.07+AM.png" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5qbjBQ0kyybKebE64XIy5gZl7Q4c7sjBjt5y7w688E1SNO0T4wqqTUFy2fNHMteJfSfqaMrdGXFJ0E1itqdmzkTwALKhNKe-cjfc_Ov2Ot9eRDIyw6UFDA_i4YoEb9fZ0syPA7jpZSgy/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-06+at+5.43.32+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5qbjBQ0kyybKebE64XIy5gZl7Q4c7sjBjt5y7w688E1SNO0T4wqqTUFy2fNHMteJfSfqaMrdGXFJ0E1itqdmzkTwALKhNKe-cjfc_Ov2Ot9eRDIyw6UFDA_i4YoEb9fZ0syPA7jpZSgy/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-06+at+5.43.32+AM.png" /></a><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>2000 - </b>Nagaland state hosts the first annual <b><a href="http://www.hornbillfestival.com/">Hornbill Festival</a></b> in Kohima in an effort to highlight the traditional festivals, traditions, dress and art forms of the 16 major Naga tribes. The festival is held in early December and continues today. </span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">2002 - </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Indian government,
through the peace talks, acknowledges that Nagaland has a separate history.
This acknowledgment is taken as a victory by some Naga people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Present-</span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Infighting
and active combat by the Indian army (Assam Rifles) continues, particularly in
areas of northern Manipur, outside of Nagaland. Naga political groups continue
to push for independence and a continuation of recently stalled peace talks. <a href="http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=jan0313/oth07">Here's a recent article </a>that sheds light on the constant conflict in Manipur. Honestly, it would take months and months of study to write 500 solid words on the more than five Naga resistance movements currently active. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySjH8b5Y4WX5CEnl0YFpP9fS4DbT2HvXoGAEpc3wHUwyYe9SxIT0obljwyfy_teCRKfw8q_KQydSApgYBJyMSrrX_75X7F6Tis2kHBJzWS0uDaFRwwwxkcDyqolgUIsaM4yVmM5HM0HcP/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-06+at+6.15.49+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySjH8b5Y4WX5CEnl0YFpP9fS4DbT2HvXoGAEpc3wHUwyYe9SxIT0obljwyfy_teCRKfw8q_KQydSApgYBJyMSrrX_75X7F6Tis2kHBJzWS0uDaFRwwwxkcDyqolgUIsaM4yVmM5HM0HcP/s200/Screen+shot+2013-01-06+at+6.15.49+AM.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkBMz357qqMiN7LIkh86exrf953EK3R3GRVcFPJwRsQzoxf-Xb1uxRlpEBnZT_baE8Kny18FVxG-PLk2-XdXg6M_mRsww7uf6wND1lNbPXxPHyYjIIbTCH096xnoU-H0MXcQoLwN_Rc7N/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-06+at+6.15.43+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkBMz357qqMiN7LIkh86exrf953EK3R3GRVcFPJwRsQzoxf-Xb1uxRlpEBnZT_baE8Kny18FVxG-PLk2-XdXg6M_mRsww7uf6wND1lNbPXxPHyYjIIbTCH096xnoU-H0MXcQoLwN_Rc7N/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-06+at+6.15.43+AM.png" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Will the Naga people ever unite? Will they ever gain independence from the Indian Government?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
our time in Kohima, Mike and I have been in the most peaceful area of Nagaland.
Here many Nagas have benefited from the ceasefire with the Indian government
and have even grown wealthy off of the Indian governments significant financial
investments in the state. While the Indian
Government pumps millions into the state of Nagaland, Nagas do not pay taxes to the central government. Instead, we are told that it is common for Nagas to pay off various Naga insurgency groups as a way to maintain peace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Indian government’s control through the purse strings and massive
infrastructure investments in the development of a relatively undeveloped state
seems to maintain enough peace and tranquility that a Naga fight for
independence seems elusive right now. As one Naga shared with me, <b>“the fruit is not yet ripe to pick Naga
independence right now.”</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">On the other hand, hundreds of thousands of Nagas
have not seen the benefits of India’s financial investments in the state.
Likewise, their memories of murder and mass destruction of their villages and
family members are too raw, and too recent to ever imagine accepting the status
quo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">For
more information on the Naga struggle, check out the books I mention above, as
well as this website of the Naga International Support Center. <a href="http://www.nagalim.nl/">http://www.nagalim.nl/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Ali Josthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08455827352741177837noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6596784037728626366.post-21540373913458218992013-01-05T07:17:00.000-08:002013-01-05T07:52:37.542-08:00Billy Graham in Nagaland<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXx228-0ribJ9wVAHZ1va1AEyyQMF2SOcIZ6qkC6fDAMN4V3EqwU42P3OnoWI6VI8qwdvzIJEJQwbIFeVQaFkOod3l9oXEMioakbsjkQHqppd6WPcxWhYhsWgX02Ki57E2Y72fKFtG-AL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.03.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXx228-0ribJ9wVAHZ1va1AEyyQMF2SOcIZ6qkC6fDAMN4V3EqwU42P3OnoWI6VI8qwdvzIJEJQwbIFeVQaFkOod3l9oXEMioakbsjkQHqppd6WPcxWhYhsWgX02Ki57E2Y72fKFtG-AL/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.03.03+PM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5uNe3VDJBleDrX_yATDPJGP2WXvhoHCUaw2OpifoTNnBfHAYnbk0HQ6rmGyyD9J283zpJaqjS3P9nk5EuLBTiCVj4dNHamH6MsM6xHs0Z9FaF-PfJhcYe20CpKAbiZnGetQRbF4BGq10u/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.02.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5uNe3VDJBleDrX_yATDPJGP2WXvhoHCUaw2OpifoTNnBfHAYnbk0HQ6rmGyyD9J283zpJaqjS3P9nk5EuLBTiCVj4dNHamH6MsM6xHs0Z9FaF-PfJhcYe20CpKAbiZnGetQRbF4BGq10u/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.02.37+PM.png" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttzMFd00ulY5DDmrinlWeG1OzgVlyNLkNL3wmPlh2IHYXdbG3P4md45EmYmfMRziCfbDQMjBZl-njrb_RbvxWfhyphenhyphenMerT-nxAVTDvEX3MheLVOrfhyphenhyphen4gZxAnKM3PAC7ZM_s9A1bOUgtlDb/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.28.44+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttzMFd00ulY5DDmrinlWeG1OzgVlyNLkNL3wmPlh2IHYXdbG3P4md45EmYmfMRziCfbDQMjBZl-njrb_RbvxWfhyphenhyphenMerT-nxAVTDvEX3MheLVOrfhyphenhyphen4gZxAnKM3PAC7ZM_s9A1bOUgtlDb/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.28.44+AM.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">The amount of signs with psalms, crosses, and churches in Nagaland
rivals the U.S. Bible belt. In fact, it's not possible to understand how Nagaland has developed without understanding the role of Christianity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's my basic attempt to make sense of it. (Check out my friend <a href="http://www.heathersnagablog.blogspot.in/2010/12/it-is-impossible-to-write-about-our.html">Heather Layton's blog</a> for a much better description of Nagaland and the role of religion here.)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIqG0e0SrBt3EqDaAQo3r12aEMSaLXXGMSvrDQf25qjgiEnZQYFrFWiwgbkVlX4YC7pgZ95njFACGXhZsnNBNBf-pgtZAtW85mb4Q5AMoAo7FP51WRJ6uavUUotFv17h8cLkHO6BHQxxi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.28.14+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIqG0e0SrBt3EqDaAQo3r12aEMSaLXXGMSvrDQf25qjgiEnZQYFrFWiwgbkVlX4YC7pgZ95njFACGXhZsnNBNBf-pgtZAtW85mb4Q5AMoAo7FP51WRJ6uavUUotFv17h8cLkHO6BHQxxi/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.28.14+AM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Today, Nagaland is the largest Baptist state in the world; as much as 70% of the population is Baptist and over 90% is Christian. Religion is everywhere. Sunday, the city nearly shuts down as families pack into churches. Christian colleges and schools abound, and alcohol of all kinds are officially banned. Despite the alcohol ban, most Nagas find ways to access liquor through the black market. Yet politicians have avoided challenging the alcohol ban--largely because of the power of the church.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Why is Jesus so important in Nagaland? </b>Although the Naga people originally held strong animus spiritual beliefs, Christianity reached them in the1850s when U.S. Baptists sent missionaries to these isolated
hills. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Nagaland’s neighboring areas of Assam had been
converted into Hinduism and Burma into Buddhism, but only the Christian
missionaries were up to the challenge of venturing into the remote hills of the
warring Naga headhunters. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNF7zOt1WAEsY9FfQ_DhNrOt89U87Tfq8X77jXsva0AZ-HTvoKU5sjQrQesI2eGwNJzacFIXmNMyuBw39sH1fmYzG6Q5ZZrxRsmBMBr9jJrI2tNx-XA4UadHVRgn5Go0IHLFhwdgiq6-qx/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.03.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNF7zOt1WAEsY9FfQ_DhNrOt89U87Tfq8X77jXsva0AZ-HTvoKU5sjQrQesI2eGwNJzacFIXmNMyuBw39sH1fmYzG6Q5ZZrxRsmBMBr9jJrI2tNx-XA4UadHVRgn5Go0IHLFhwdgiq6-qx/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.03.52+PM.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Imagine the journey these fervent missionaries made to reach the Naga villages?! Again, Nagaland is landlocked without any navigable rivers, and the landscape is mountainous. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Regardless, i</span><span style="font-size: large;">n 1839,
Reverend Miles Bronson from the U.S. Baptist Church attempted to convert the Nagas </span><span style="font-size: large;">who
were most accessible and closest to Assam (where Baptists were already established.) He eventually failed due to illness
(and probably because the Nagas rejected him).
But he is still honored here in Nagaland.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDaS13Sa4CJ4ywqSgY8kc8wfWAx9ecoWYKNJ46KY9QjZY9vG8kkxq4Arz4pK9ebUhnBb5OelFoLabC8s5vYgeIEbALKE5udvmVVCKtV5H5xQ-qtorXG42o6n5qpzFHbQCGO7qlD5Vzrgwc/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-05+at+12.32.12+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDaS13Sa4CJ4ywqSgY8kc8wfWAx9ecoWYKNJ46KY9QjZY9vG8kkxq4Arz4pK9ebUhnBb5OelFoLabC8s5vYgeIEbALKE5udvmVVCKtV5H5xQ-qtorXG42o6n5qpzFHbQCGO7qlD5Vzrgwc/s200/Screen+shot+2013-01-05+at+12.32.12+AM.png" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rev. Miles Bronson attempted to convert <br />the Nagas in 1839.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first real and lasting contact between missionaries and Nagas was around <b>1869 </b>when <b>Rev.
Dr. E.W. Clark</b> from Boston connected with the powerful <b>Ao tribe</b>.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">In 1876 Clark established the first
Christian town among the Ao tribe in a place called Molungyimsen in north-western
Nagaland. </span><span style="font-size: large;">By 1911,</span><b style="font-size: x-large;"> </b><span style="font-size: large;">this
settlement had produced the Ao-English dictionary--bringing written language to the Naga tribe for the first time. Soon after, Ao pastors began to
convert other Naga tribes. </span><span style="font-size: large;">From 1920 through the 1970s, Baptist evangelicals spread their word
throughout Nagaland. They brought Jesus, schools and hospitals. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today, many Nagas credit the church for helping to unite the different tribes and for bringing classic education, English and the written language. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Even among some of the artists that Mike and I have met (more on this later), Christianity is influential. It also seems that the abundance of musicians within Nagaland may have something to do with their upbringing in the Baptist Christian church.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjemaco56lSOPCcqBYgoZYPooZbUliNTZc-wAGWbVfOgWNa-fkaJNr2T-gTm-u0YQpe9IAUfnDj0OPrxcSupuwoMHosgalx1tPs9uudGwoWF0yvrxUO27ZCWjEZ4exogstbigAcsnEb6NQ_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.28.05+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjemaco56lSOPCcqBYgoZYPooZbUliNTZc-wAGWbVfOgWNa-fkaJNr2T-gTm-u0YQpe9IAUfnDj0OPrxcSupuwoMHosgalx1tPs9uudGwoWF0yvrxUO27ZCWjEZ4exogstbigAcsnEb6NQ_/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.28.05+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is no doubt that Baptists won the Naga hearts.
Still today, Nagaland is the largest Baptist state in the world. In April, 2012
Billy Graham’s daughter came to speak as the Nagaland Baptist Church Council <a href="http://in.christiantoday.com/articles/nagaland-baptist-church-council-celebrates-75-years/7226.htm">celebrated
75 years</a>. Hailing over 600,000 members, the Baptist church claims the vast
majority of Nagas. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BMPisifnXzmcy74RFBLHJIm1VJpOUya7_D6doxgCFy4R27G8t4fyqch_6CiafLA6n7W_QLJhZXzwpmp2Yfp9s8Kww9SnaVq402LzwxOOsRnsyD4Y8zfefyKu9wZbm5F5H5Q3dl3c3JO4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.03.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BMPisifnXzmcy74RFBLHJIm1VJpOUya7_D6doxgCFy4R27G8t4fyqch_6CiafLA6n7W_QLJhZXzwpmp2Yfp9s8Kww9SnaVq402LzwxOOsRnsyD4Y8zfefyKu9wZbm5F5H5Q3dl3c3JO4/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-05+at+8.03.20+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I pulled the following statistics from <a href="http://www.internationalministries.org/download/http://www.internationalministries.org/download/38072-timeline-baptist-mission-in-northeast-india-doc38072-timeline-baptist-mission-in-northeast-india-doc">the
American Baptist International Ministries Website.</a> </span><span style="font-size: large;">In 2011, the Christian Baptist Convention of Northeastern
India (which also includes Nagaland’s bordering states of Assam, Manipur and
Arunachal) had 7,804 churches and 1,045,804 baptized members! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">What I find curious is that despite the significant role of the Christian church in everyday life here, the church seems to stay out of politics. Though the Nagas have been fighting for independence from India for decades, the Church (the heart of the Naga people) is asent from the fight. Similarly, despite an abundance of traditional Christian values in Nagaland, corruption among the political class who controls much of the state's pursestrings still abounds. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Obviously my cursory look at Christianity in Nagaland offers few answers--but it will be fascinating to see how the church's influence changes as Nagaland continues to develop. Will it maintain its power over subsequent generations of Nagas? Will it become more political or remain quiet as the government of India and Naga liberation movements fight for a peaceful resolution?</span></div>
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Ali Josthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08455827352741177837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6596784037728626366.post-16982352973789290292013-01-04T20:54:00.002-08:002013-01-04T20:54:49.437-08:00World War II Battle of Kohima 1944<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In Kohima, the capitol of Nagaland, the two largest, most
beautiful public spaces have nothing to do with the Naga people. They were designed to honor British and Japanese soldiers who fought a famous WWII battle here in 1944.</div>
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If Kohima were Washington, D.C. these memorials would be like the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument--at least in terms of significance to the skyline, the city plan, and even to tourists. I find this
curious since the Nagas have lost as many of 200,000 people in their
decades-long war for independence from India since 1947 (more on this later). Nagas also lost many warriors who fought off British soldiers before they colonized
the city of Kohima in 1878. Where is their memorial? But of
course, the history of western imperialism, as well as the complex, sensitive
and ongoing politics of the Naga independence movement, makes a Naga civil war
memorial impossible at this time.</div>
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Instead, it is common to see Naga families taking a weekend
picnic in either the British World War II memorial or the Japanese memorial.
Both commemorate the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kohima">Battle
of Kohima,</a> a more than 3-month battle from April-June, 1944, during which
British and British Indian soldiers successfully fought back Japanese forces
who had entered this easternmost point of India through Burma. I am no WWII
historian, but a basic Google search suggests that had the outcome been
different in this Battle of Kohima, the Japanese may have advanced, claiming
India and possibly more of the west. </div>
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Today, the picturesque British World War II Memorial sits
where the bloodiest part of the battle occurred on the tennis court of the then
British Deputy Commissioner stationed in Nagaland. </div>
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The Japanese World War II memorial is a large Catholic
Church perched high on a ridge. Although the Baptist missionaries converted the largest number of Nagas and the Baptist church continues to be the most powerful influence,
the Catholic Church also has followers. </div>
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Ali Josthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08455827352741177837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6596784037728626366.post-55920629793358218192013-01-03T21:56:00.000-08:002013-01-03T21:56:35.724-08:00Nagaland: Where Poinsettias Grow Like a Weed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Thanks to my mother who is quite a gardener, I have picked up a fascination with flora and fauna, and wherever I travel, I take note of what is similar and different from my native Washington, D.C. In Nagaland--literally on the other side of the globe--it has been fascinating to observe foliage. The stark, subtropical mountains of Kohima remind me of areas of Oaxaca, Mexico, which also has a similar climate of a rainy season and a very dry season. We are up higher here than in most parts of Oaxaca--so there are differences, but there are still abundant chiles, poinsettias growing wild, and the occasional banana tree or sugar cane (just to remind you that we are near the tropics:)<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2nqEbKZXnJ3DPkD-fcxbraAiblrOdpLmj4i4701VCM70YVxwF9k_38bDWMQdMeuZFYbnxdJiiZcGLGAyoefsT99rSCZtk3z8RvrE3IVkc5_g_57V-pgkYUJ9n5fYNUf9IdzvPG0w5J52/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+10.39.29+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2nqEbKZXnJ3DPkD-fcxbraAiblrOdpLmj4i4701VCM70YVxwF9k_38bDWMQdMeuZFYbnxdJiiZcGLGAyoefsT99rSCZtk3z8RvrE3IVkc5_g_57V-pgkYUJ9n5fYNUf9IdzvPG0w5J52/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+10.39.29+AM.png" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poinsettias grow EVERYWHERE.</td></tr>
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We are here during the winter, the dry season. So less is blooming. But here are some shots of the foliage. I am also including some shots from the market to give you a sense of the local produce.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKirOVvWlsFO2bOOqFN5AhgxsPyf9iXmb8EU4-9rQde7_xa6YJp3-bIVeoB84VBXryI_82QFhEagDWbRwul0izWpifQsBwlXysPHA9gd8cexYGfYB7zbBUhyMhqll3jwdrPcxtXpL5Wmx/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+10.42.46+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKirOVvWlsFO2bOOqFN5AhgxsPyf9iXmb8EU4-9rQde7_xa6YJp3-bIVeoB84VBXryI_82QFhEagDWbRwul0izWpifQsBwlXysPHA9gd8cexYGfYB7zbBUhyMhqll3jwdrPcxtXpL5Wmx/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+10.42.46+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dzukou - a valley sitting on top of 8000 ft. mountains. In the summer, it if full of wild flowers.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiCTyb8WfFMwlOZQ5iuIJ6NGpnPxF002ZS2QfsgNCyMkf8veoRJO4Gx6qY3eeG0Lp6tEZEfkDe0KDIKHBRQTzQ5-egUa6F9et-U6YupXgIGP-nnB5zl9Q7lOyHzVdwJKWg7lu7mnbiYJY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+11.18.41+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiCTyb8WfFMwlOZQ5iuIJ6NGpnPxF002ZS2QfsgNCyMkf8veoRJO4Gx6qY3eeG0Lp6tEZEfkDe0KDIKHBRQTzQ5-egUa6F9et-U6YupXgIGP-nnB5zl9Q7lOyHzVdwJKWg7lu7mnbiYJY/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+11.18.41+AM.png" width="320" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs947EfpeyPwIQkTflsaKinywR6o1SN4l3ngZ_aPY7cwENlP6TrTNvUuY1qUb_9J-_wiaGohlggdB6g9Hs1GERs2Uw9e2HxYmWg7B_pV-jjm9nrQjVYsYB22X-6OwQK8lmgAJ0p45bWiRZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+10.42.27+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs947EfpeyPwIQkTflsaKinywR6o1SN4l3ngZ_aPY7cwENlP6TrTNvUuY1qUb_9J-_wiaGohlggdB6g9Hs1GERs2Uw9e2HxYmWg7B_pV-jjm9nrQjVYsYB22X-6OwQK8lmgAJ0p45bWiRZ/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+10.42.27+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These mountains resemble the highlands of Oaxaca and Puebla, Mexico.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TEGBtscDAtzSLzuDuOaSO4Z2opTjF7A7CfskuuFWBdmDaLNJ6D0MtCbWzA1zFDeQ_KDKsTEceFTSOI22viTsrKx4LmPlWtjlvwa993KX1rnU1ew1nUtLptIZ8H756Gc4AEy7VLskSa5w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+10.40.18+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TEGBtscDAtzSLzuDuOaSO4Z2opTjF7A7CfskuuFWBdmDaLNJ6D0MtCbWzA1zFDeQ_KDKsTEceFTSOI22viTsrKx4LmPlWtjlvwa993KX1rnU1ew1nUtLptIZ8H756Gc4AEy7VLskSa5w/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+10.40.18+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nagas boil and eat these beautiful leaves.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzZkCeihTGScOqIYSeNrFMa5q1N2KCYMqSvEdeJQrqlSWqciasw0DU0cv-jRLcmFbHmUz7tGLsBdTYVC7KT7p4XYGPL1Wvte4tOrLsFluFVvjGHYo8HFK8-Xqd7QZAOyPKUeucEc5SKuU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+10.40.08+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzZkCeihTGScOqIYSeNrFMa5q1N2KCYMqSvEdeJQrqlSWqciasw0DU0cv-jRLcmFbHmUz7tGLsBdTYVC7KT7p4XYGPL1Wvte4tOrLsFluFVvjGHYo8HFK8-Xqd7QZAOyPKUeucEc5SKuU/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+10.40.08+AM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nagas eat their food HOT.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhth-tCDwcJKQVWla6hUe-u0N2BG36Vp2SJPGTRAb8Ik_NykuJ6amVI2N2pB5MZyZoiAMyoRFNuMAN1aqM4VCRLaMbR1SFbmHkFngEeC2UqtV98PxHrfnjg8-CEjylqJOXitJUN6ClRaQcx/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+10.39.03+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhth-tCDwcJKQVWla6hUe-u0N2BG36Vp2SJPGTRAb8Ik_NykuJ6amVI2N2pB5MZyZoiAMyoRFNuMAN1aqM4VCRLaMbR1SFbmHkFngEeC2UqtV98PxHrfnjg8-CEjylqJOXitJUN6ClRaQcx/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+10.39.03+AM.png" width="241" /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQdfqyYaLmug9RlUzZgQ1g0swVSO_6zSs8dQ_9Huju6ACsXEN8Mw1q98msOGVD3Uspw_H8Kkz6bNjNZQW6jbr9AhCf0l-VxeKb6fRtud2_AzdN1W39FTK0Rf-25D95VxZIK7RJODWdoZK/s1600/Topiary+Holly.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQdfqyYaLmug9RlUzZgQ1g0swVSO_6zSs8dQ_9Huju6ACsXEN8Mw1q98msOGVD3Uspw_H8Kkz6bNjNZQW6jbr9AhCf0l-VxeKb6fRtud2_AzdN1W39FTK0Rf-25D95VxZIK7RJODWdoZK/s320/Topiary+Holly.png" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BCEMcikuGLxsvHgAj-LMu6QHaWwVXBUXNNYigZ8VNl0h_F8TGQoPoN1LnyYhgHPIGMO56OZMiSocQz3NaJjpN396YOQ7ys6T14Ov2lOKOL2lY91AvbdgPK5SgTnMiEEHfr-wVDwliNBF/s1600/Small+Magnolia.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BCEMcikuGLxsvHgAj-LMu6QHaWwVXBUXNNYigZ8VNl0h_F8TGQoPoN1LnyYhgHPIGMO56OZMiSocQz3NaJjpN396YOQ7ys6T14Ov2lOKOL2lY91AvbdgPK5SgTnMiEEHfr-wVDwliNBF/s320/Small+Magnolia.png" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magnolia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2vsx1FCJXeS03pwyCU5vXv6xl9no_dNu0IMHtcUscls-T21zT6rZ7irlm259bcyekuxR5-ABp16lFWxIovpw9zkD7wTdzuLx210GkOodfTJ7xbzqEJwZhs2EY4fXLB0TMNMjaSTdmUnh/s1600/Bugonvilla.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2vsx1FCJXeS03pwyCU5vXv6xl9no_dNu0IMHtcUscls-T21zT6rZ7irlm259bcyekuxR5-ABp16lFWxIovpw9zkD7wTdzuLx210GkOodfTJ7xbzqEJwZhs2EY4fXLB0TMNMjaSTdmUnh/s320/Bugonvilla.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bouganvilla </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgq8ml694vAwEIx5FTK_kIM7XqDLUxthsByMvuchUPLP-qIwk4btl31cZPdQs5152xztr7eaPYNmj3kDXV9biC0WkO_wlzXRn0ixL_JeX9U9Jw-3sCc9ZNfBEaK_yl1wWLxBuVjBMnqXX/s1600/Hybiscus.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgq8ml694vAwEIx5FTK_kIM7XqDLUxthsByMvuchUPLP-qIwk4btl31cZPdQs5152xztr7eaPYNmj3kDXV9biC0WkO_wlzXRn0ixL_JeX9U9Jw-3sCc9ZNfBEaK_yl1wWLxBuVjBMnqXX/s320/Hybiscus.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hybiscus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKammg8aAlGvoJMwJtqqlcCDoS0XakuinyY37OXmgemQYzkKHc7CKpB3eb3M9W8qkjLLScm-ZcI2hpsU03NtmA1WTH8lOGx7tbZBTjI3XoWLVC8w3zpRI63u5DAynecU6gJlOK_aUx1FA/s1600/Rhodedendrum.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKammg8aAlGvoJMwJtqqlcCDoS0XakuinyY37OXmgemQYzkKHc7CKpB3eb3M9W8qkjLLScm-ZcI2hpsU03NtmA1WTH8lOGx7tbZBTjI3XoWLVC8w3zpRI63u5DAynecU6gJlOK_aUx1FA/s320/Rhodedendrum.png" width="264" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhodedendum - in the mountains near Kohima, sits the largest Rohdedendrum in the world.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Ali Josthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08455827352741177837noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6596784037728626366.post-20410856234509251062013-01-03T20:55:00.000-08:002013-01-03T20:55:13.336-08:00Skipping the Industrial Revolution: From Head Hunters to Global Entrepreneurs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In America, we talk a lot about the self-made man. The story goes that he/she grew up in a trailer park and then pulled themselves up by their
own boot straps to become the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company. While no one can deny that the upward mobility of the American Dream is real--I reject the "self-made" concept. As Malcolm Gladwell writes about in <i>Outliers</i>, even the “self-made man/woman" had help. They were given amazing opportunities at fortuitous moments in their lives—like
access to a magnet school or a dedicated family member that pushed them to
pursue their talents. No one emerges from the trailer park or the gutter to
elite status without fortuitous and powerful interventions.</div>
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<b>So—how does an
indigenous community completely cut off from other societies and the modern
world emerge from their head hunting past to become global entrepreneurs in
less than 100 years? </b>Since spending time with a brilliant, humble and visionary
community of Nagas in northeastern India, I still cannot get my mind around this society’s rapid
transition from living as warriors, hunters and primitive agriculturalists just
100 years ago to progressive modernists today.</div>
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British colonizers and
Southern Baptist missionaries began to reach the first tribes of Nagas in the
area where Mike and I are staying around 1850. Yet many tribes remained
relatively untouched by outside civilizations until the 1960s. Today, in major Naga cities like Kohima where Mike and I are staying, Nagas are launching international exchange programs, studying fashion design in London, producing animation videos for Indian VH1, and traveling, working and studying around the world.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyasB9kyXQDPv8NH4niMEFiNybHP6W9rQlt53NTi2qJC5I15rZ_Dt_DQExwRvAXVeSycH658hubFf7Zj1NlNhYq2AGWOClYZ3vkSkebrtGoz6_sk9HvIh9eiretK4PLE8uEBMxbhI5rCJC/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+9.35.01+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyasB9kyXQDPv8NH4niMEFiNybHP6W9rQlt53NTi2qJC5I15rZ_Dt_DQExwRvAXVeSycH658hubFf7Zj1NlNhYq2AGWOClYZ3vkSkebrtGoz6_sk9HvIh9eiretK4PLE8uEBMxbhI5rCJC/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+9.35.01+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modern Day Kohima, capitol of Nagaland, India</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PSSyp6e_JbTYYV6UMuLbpjDjdhmFr75tEaDAGYZX10ebAab1gfQE8y_4Vq7E0ZaRv3v-GpVHfAhO6hV3zTsDg_tXs9X035W9JawINBl4CbvUAVzVYqW4JvHcChqlkSKB96ateIMfw-ex/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+9.33.39+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PSSyp6e_JbTYYV6UMuLbpjDjdhmFr75tEaDAGYZX10ebAab1gfQE8y_4Vq7E0ZaRv3v-GpVHfAhO6hV3zTsDg_tXs9X035W9JawINBl4CbvUAVzVYqW4JvHcChqlkSKB96ateIMfw-ex/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+9.33.39+AM.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mIX2pj_ODswhyphenhyphenbHahMif52NBAGWYI1f7kQIEp7vXpWmARlVe3gvPkzs-SsJvAGzwVuwIrmTmg7QjFVC0todr7RowkGtTMgR8xhxlDK9UlLka_mhOscalrirbgQ4D1IwEReY1DCrf7Ykd/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+9.32.38+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mIX2pj_ODswhyphenhyphenbHahMif52NBAGWYI1f7kQIEp7vXpWmARlVe3gvPkzs-SsJvAGzwVuwIrmTmg7QjFVC0todr7RowkGtTMgR8xhxlDK9UlLka_mhOscalrirbgQ4D1IwEReY1DCrf7Ykd/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+9.32.38+AM.png" width="143" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwGYStVw_mwToHOpUpSORbLfpONcRnl3SrPq2nH6vOvUkIh2FI2oXT8QMtQ24InO6dE5C0CQ5fLzFBT7cRkfqwsnKt1oy8N8w2nOxrJygbhX-WY92UzGx_NY3mDoB2nc5feEFDR3R8dUL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+9.33.09+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwGYStVw_mwToHOpUpSORbLfpONcRnl3SrPq2nH6vOvUkIh2FI2oXT8QMtQ24InO6dE5C0CQ5fLzFBT7cRkfqwsnKt1oy8N8w2nOxrJygbhX-WY92UzGx_NY3mDoB2nc5feEFDR3R8dUL/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+9.33.09+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Computer courses are everywhere. Many Nagas have internet access through their cell phones.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOu5PtqsWk8rcbtflZ86MIWFKty8PAhWMN2dAK_LYCaBxhL81a4DtZRjEiAvGWdFGMtF2qCad7q-QbGWoLGgezj8e0IGNpQlIdIwYU3WJygPPWNAznshrgL7SlU-bywY5jCchK1YvbE60z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+9.36.18+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOu5PtqsWk8rcbtflZ86MIWFKty8PAhWMN2dAK_LYCaBxhL81a4DtZRjEiAvGWdFGMtF2qCad7q-QbGWoLGgezj8e0IGNpQlIdIwYU3WJygPPWNAznshrgL7SlU-bywY5jCchK1YvbE60z/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+9.36.18+AM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Major push by Indian government to promote sustainable energy to help address water scarcity and land erosion.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucuGPYf3TjvGqvHCuFVnFlMuDdF11dBORutBKv6RPM63Yjn_CTiYXtt_oq1UePNS6xQjK2wKS460hwKqotZ3acCNsYs2TrOYlezBQC7lSEAWYShoaa96elbq1Fqgny38h8JLl7j5thQ3n/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+9.32.00+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucuGPYf3TjvGqvHCuFVnFlMuDdF11dBORutBKv6RPM63Yjn_CTiYXtt_oq1UePNS6xQjK2wKS460hwKqotZ3acCNsYs2TrOYlezBQC7lSEAWYShoaa96elbq1Fqgny38h8JLl7j5thQ3n/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+9.32.00+AM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No one is homeless in Nagaland. A mixture of traditional Naga family values, Christianity, and significant funding from the central Indian government keeps most of the community above the poverty line. Literacy rates have also soared from maybe 20% 30 years ago to more like 70% today (and this is from a people who up to 100 years ago had no written language.) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<b>Is head hunting what
it sounds like? </b>Yes. Nagas warred with other tribes and sub clans over land
and resources. Each tribe had a warrior class of men who would accumulate
skulls of other Naga tribes to prove their power. Those who killed women and
babies--who were protected in the center of Naga villages--were
considered the bravest warriors. They tattooed their bodies with pride to
display the number of heads they took.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDq-5sPA-zCusqY2DjVL5S7mfK9gIojR4kDtVvtK3elvV8r24kkZFfuFKiaF9sqKOkmvB7L8b6wJLIlcFIXirOw9f-0xW7gorjcMvrv5nQrghyphenhyphenXlNz_DorOLqE1jzLLu4ws1gXP6BtNJp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+10.01.58+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDq-5sPA-zCusqY2DjVL5S7mfK9gIojR4kDtVvtK3elvV8r24kkZFfuFKiaF9sqKOkmvB7L8b6wJLIlcFIXirOw9f-0xW7gorjcMvrv5nQrghyphenhyphenXlNz_DorOLqE1jzLLu4ws1gXP6BtNJp/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-04+at+10.01.58+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Based on the Naga animus religion, those
who were murdered by Naga warriors could not rest in the afterlife until their
killers were avenged. And so the Nagas were engaged in a never-ending cycle of
head hunting and murder that left many tribes so concerned with issues of
protection that they had little time for anything else. </div>
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As the British gained greater influence over the Nagas
around the turn of the century—particularly those in the southernmost regions
of what is today Nagaland—the British penalized acts of head hunters by burning
down their villages and fining the Nagas. This political action was coupled
with the emergence of the Southern Baptists who were quickly converting Nagas,
introducing the English written language, and beginning to challenge head
hunting traditions from thousands of years before. </div>
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Despite this real gradual shift away from head-hunting and
towards Christianity, Nagas continued to maintain many of their traditional
ways of life. And some Naga tribes remained in such remote areas of the
mountains along the border with today’s Myanmar that they maintained their
ancient societal traditions as warriors and head hunters through the 1960s. There
was a head-hunting attack as recently as the 1990s.</div>
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So when American teenagers were spooning over the Beatles
and beginning to raise their own consciousness against the Vietnam War and
against segregation, racism, and sexism, these Naga tribes were wearing
traditional dress, living in small villages without electricity or running
water; they relied completely on their oral language. <br />
<br />
<b>What happens when you skip the industrial revolution on the path to modernity?</b><br />
I haven't been in Nagaland long enough to have the answer to this question. And of course any answer I might find is also very specific to the customs and values of the Naga people. But there is no doubt that Mike and I are here at a major transition for the Naga people (more on their political conflict with India and the transition later).<br />
<br />
Most Nagas over 65 grew up wearing their traditional dress and living the traditional Naga way. That generation of Nagas who were born around WWII (which had a major impact on Nagaland which I will write about later) began the process of modernization that we are seeing today. These Nagas interacted more and more with the Indian government and the outside world. While fighting and advocating for Naga sovereignty from India, they sent their children to school; they began to speak English; they united increasingly with other Naga tribes; and they began to integrate modern practice with their ancient practices that had remained untouched for thousands of year. Slowly, some Nagas began to lose touch with their ancient traditions.<br />
<br />
Today, Naga businessmen and woman and political strongmen and woman are working within the Indian government to strengthen their communities. They are also becoming increasingly curious about their ancestry. Many of the Nagas we have met with incredible talents, abilities and possibilities to travel around the world have chosen to come back home to live and work in Nagaland. Perhaps skilling the Industrial Revolution means that Nagas skipped the community and family fragmentation that commonly took place in the West? Regardless, it seems that for the Nagas modernization has happened while maintaining a sense of community and family values. This could change with the next generation. But for now, I hope that Nagas continue to modernize and change as every society does while also maintaining their unique identity. </div>
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Ali Josthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08455827352741177837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6596784037728626366.post-32091424142639586312013-01-03T06:28:00.001-08:002013-01-03T06:28:06.947-08:00Naked Warriors and Dancers: the Recent Naga Past<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Mike and I recently toured the Kisama heritage village outside of Kohima that was established 12 years ago to preserve the customs--design, art, dance, festivals, etc--of the 16 Naga tribes. Every year, the government of India helps to fund the Hornbill Festival to feature the traditional music, dance, games, and artistry of the distinct Naga tribes. Sadly, Mike and I missed the festival--but here is my attempt to give a snapshot of the recent past of these 16 curious tribes that inhabit Nagaland, India.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy14DQPx4-LCl6X4-oz6LWKVcBKCp45gGa8RhaNTt9Gkr0_UOROAJwJw5HY2IyAL8AnOBHiSkWgIxV0bK74qNMoFeqdfHtKYdFdHHS6rq2dCWSEj8OFIbnFatrQGaG4L0Tp9YmCta4ILAq/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-03+at+7.40.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy14DQPx4-LCl6X4-oz6LWKVcBKCp45gGa8RhaNTt9Gkr0_UOROAJwJw5HY2IyAL8AnOBHiSkWgIxV0bK74qNMoFeqdfHtKYdFdHHS6rq2dCWSEj8OFIbnFatrQGaG4L0Tp9YmCta4ILAq/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-03+at+7.40.52+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Pre 1900</b><br />
Before Nagas came into contact with the British and/or Southern Baptist missionaries between 1850-1900, the 16 Naga tribes and their many sub-clans lived in isolation from the outside world—and sometimes even from each other. They did not trade with the nearby tribes that were part of the Assam Kingdom (in what is now the Assam state of India) or the Kingdom of Manipur (now Manipur state) to the south. They were cut off from the cosmopolitan silk-road trade route. Instead, they lived in ornately carved wooden huts, hunted, cultivated rice, believed in natural spirits, weaved, made pottery, held frequent harvest festivals with music, dance, games, etc., and warred with each other, cutting of human heads and keeping the skulls (more on this later.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VGlpsIkOLgt4PR-YMJW_VgGHqSy9rMJPaeSXucExgRq7m3YK9OpExZlM09iMlt7SmLkZyUuapmS_zIJHT2N_tg1ZtGvWWgxvzkNJn-Cj3feULFutXpodEieKtIzOuqwX1_3ByRZkq8dX/s1600/Konyak+Hous.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VGlpsIkOLgt4PR-YMJW_VgGHqSy9rMJPaeSXucExgRq7m3YK9OpExZlM09iMlt7SmLkZyUuapmS_zIJHT2N_tg1ZtGvWWgxvzkNJn-Cj3feULFutXpodEieKtIzOuqwX1_3ByRZkq8dX/s320/Konyak+Hous.png" width="241" /></a></div>
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The origin of how Nagas came to settle in the hills at the foothills of the Himalayas is still a mystery. The presence of sea shells on the dress of some Naga tribes has led some to wonder if the Nagas migrated long ago from an island community in southeast Asia. But how and why would an island people migrate to a landlocked area in the hills? Their features remained distinct from other nearby tribes and very distinct from the features of nearby Bengalis or Northern Indians. Nagas look more Asian with their almond shaped eyes, straight black hair.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzGcHFlKXPuIumsMhybT40NxRcuJjMf7QsoqrwmwbyoQDltJm2xWng-1QJUSXaHAexZtWdAqzVYKbETgBrymc123UwmvCmII2BXg7MklzD0STNXlgRRyX40oyrxEVejrMOgXKEF0Y7tdD/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-03+at+7.40.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzGcHFlKXPuIumsMhybT40NxRcuJjMf7QsoqrwmwbyoQDltJm2xWng-1QJUSXaHAexZtWdAqzVYKbETgBrymc123UwmvCmII2BXg7MklzD0STNXlgRRyX40oyrxEVejrMOgXKEF0Y7tdD/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-03+at+7.40.28+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnY8laCsBcb9Gy1b3-756mpgf6tBGEU9BKeHGv2Cs-B_wN4vRwFjwiD797pLZn55pEESRttqVxZWffm7AYgtvv7ru6pdTMIbO79UfdxJrvKrgCaPfeYZUuxd0QZbPuos1QKWZCEPX9Cjs/s1600/Ao+Women.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnY8laCsBcb9Gy1b3-756mpgf6tBGEU9BKeHGv2Cs-B_wN4vRwFjwiD797pLZn55pEESRttqVxZWffm7AYgtvv7ru6pdTMIbO79UfdxJrvKrgCaPfeYZUuxd0QZbPuos1QKWZCEPX9Cjs/s320/Ao+Women.png" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood carving of Ao woman in traditional dress. The Ao tribe was in the Northwestern area of today's Nagaland.</td></tr>
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From what archeologists know from Nagas’ oral traditions and broader study of Northeastern India, Nagas lived in isolation even among themselves. Though different tribes were separated by as little as 20 kilometers, their languages and customs were so different that they could not communicate. Their world was small. But their world was also rich with customs, ornate festivals to promote the growing season and celebrate their warrior prowess. They carved ornate wood sculptures, wove shawls and clothing (that slightly resemble some of the works of the indigenous communities I have come to know in Peru, Mexico and Guatemala). They hollowed out larger tree trunks to make large drums that they used to communicate from far distanced. They domesticated a native Buffalo called the Mithun. They made rice beer, smoked tobacco and sometimes opium. They sang and danced. And of course, they head hunted (more on this later). <br />
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Here are a few photos from Kisama village highlighting the way Nagas lived as recently as 50 years ago.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEeZEld4UvhF7NxXoN-UhyFmFsCUW9_XX0ExhNNUS88nwQfOH0kDow9ijpSOwAp_eE8Ojz1D-KveQa28cYwNmDILkiNu9EgPQnsvBQX90xq9A0rA7WBxK5L8wVr8FpP65ySTS9OjrB0HS/s1600/Tree+Music+Maker.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEeZEld4UvhF7NxXoN-UhyFmFsCUW9_XX0ExhNNUS88nwQfOH0kDow9ijpSOwAp_eE8Ojz1D-KveQa28cYwNmDILkiNu9EgPQnsvBQX90xq9A0rA7WBxK5L8wVr8FpP65ySTS9OjrB0HS/s320/Tree+Music+Maker.png" width="210" /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEPULeR7_FVVmJZl3kZt4Q9kSdYqdUawQKoxR1YWYpL1hA7lISan5LZDqacbA2GHILq4ldCvvm8sidbpGFnolE-XhCZMAQiJV9xhxDIVShTk8N9o1iLhsmkbBaANiyUGq5RI0Yb0kdBnp/s1600/Kissama+Village+Theja.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEPULeR7_FVVmJZl3kZt4Q9kSdYqdUawQKoxR1YWYpL1hA7lISan5LZDqacbA2GHILq4ldCvvm8sidbpGFnolE-XhCZMAQiJV9xhxDIVShTk8N9o1iLhsmkbBaANiyUGq5RI0Yb0kdBnp/s320/Kissama+Village+Theja.png" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our wonderful host Theja outside of Kisama Heritage Village 9 km from Kohima<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVla9UZFH7wKBn6WF6-7xyNLqFS_cEAAIxVPH4HTx-ieu9QId3rKzlSA5KlkxeOQvvj1Bf1HBshIZneMeNEEeY08CVoX-kx4uobP-5YmFG8Y5JpRqv5HUqflDCS_OM5fPzwoxRNFhegUrF/s1600/Wood+carving+entrance.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVla9UZFH7wKBn6WF6-7xyNLqFS_cEAAIxVPH4HTx-ieu9QId3rKzlSA5KlkxeOQvvj1Bf1HBshIZneMeNEEeY08CVoX-kx4uobP-5YmFG8Y5JpRqv5HUqflDCS_OM5fPzwoxRNFhegUrF/s200/Wood+carving+entrance.png" width="120" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qspb0O2zAZrQ7vuWKmFWFFUA56NhoRyrdBuFJRCdrdS_OzWaqj9YveY1TvdWmpHPkuQyxduileOzCEnQmGyomTfWQTHvEeZ1xHEeNBZZOVy7s6mTPPYuA-j-1o435eRTKI7CU13bEmOp/s1600/Mithun+Skulls.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qspb0O2zAZrQ7vuWKmFWFFUA56NhoRyrdBuFJRCdrdS_OzWaqj9YveY1TvdWmpHPkuQyxduileOzCEnQmGyomTfWQTHvEeZ1xHEeNBZZOVy7s6mTPPYuA-j-1o435eRTKI7CU13bEmOp/s320/Mithun+Skulls.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Ali Josthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08455827352741177837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6596784037728626366.post-77950309471325259382013-01-03T05:03:00.000-08:002013-01-03T05:03:00.895-08:00Final rest at the ridge of the Mountains in Kohima, Nagaland<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As most folks know, the purpose of our trip to India was for
Mike to participate in an artist residency in Nagaland. Nagaland is a far
eastern Indian state in the foothills of the Himalayas that borders Myanmar to
the east and is still relatively unknown even to Indians.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzobG3-o1KPP1MAX9CBW-7vKOVXU4e44_y2lR7xlxJyGSwMQwAHHm-5R0mtZjxnjRxhcnubbGm7jFY7kj2Pn4Lyl-AyOZ1rnE9e_e5adKHR9IBfbwooLnIn_IXBwtApO4X9errm8x21oXM/s1600/nagaland-district-map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzobG3-o1KPP1MAX9CBW-7vKOVXU4e44_y2lR7xlxJyGSwMQwAHHm-5R0mtZjxnjRxhcnubbGm7jFY7kj2Pn4Lyl-AyOZ1rnE9e_e5adKHR9IBfbwooLnIn_IXBwtApO4X9errm8x21oXM/s320/nagaland-district-map.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
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Nagaland has a completely separate ethnic, religious and political history as the rest of India. It is made up of 16
distinct tribes (with many more sub-tribes) that until about 100 years ago lived isolated in these rugged subtropical mountains. They survived as warriors, small-scale rice cultivators and hunters with little to no trade with the Kingdoms of Assam and Manipur around them.<br />
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The Naga tribes had/have distinct dress, language and customs and lived throughout the subtropical hills and valleys of
Nagaland. They are known for hunting, colorful festivals, skilled weaving, wood carving and also for "head hunting." The tribes fought frequently and the more human skulls a warrior accumulated--particularly of children and women--the more respect and power he earned.</div>
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About 150 years ago the Southern Baptist missionaries came to what is now Nagaland to convert the Naga people. (This is also about the same time that the British came to colonize this area--but I will write more on the later.) The missionaries were quickly accepted and Christianity became a powerful, unifying influence. The embrace of the southern Baptist, conservative Christian faith began a rapid process of modernization and a move away from tribal warfare. Still today, Nagaland is the largest Baptist state in the world. Religion plays an integral role in the formation of the Naga community. In fact, the word Naga (which also has an unrelated and separate meaning in the Hindu faith that worships the snake Naga spirit) only came into existence 150 years ago when the Souther Baptists came. </div>
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So back to our journey here. On December 27, after two flights, a long layover in the loud and unpleasant
Kolkata (Calcutta) airport, we landed in Dimapur, the transportation hub of
Nagaland. Our lovely host, Theja, picked us up and drove us on a three-hour,
windy and bumpy car ride up into the mountains where the Nagaland capitol,
Kohima, sits on the ridge of green, subtropical mountains. After the grime and
chaos of Delhi, the chill and confusion of Agra, and the exhaustion of the
nearly 36 hours of cumulative travel time from our home in Washington, DC—it
was brilliant to rest in the Nagaland hills of Kohima. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNVpZjlYqfJZqRq0YJ8-v9IGv6ZOROAfvADT4rR7te7_yUFXqTMfg_ILCB6uEhAg-XJfDBzEGVY1T45erUov69FZC-Fi15YcPzqvSvmcasKqlIgP4nG8bK8IHAUuWkrtuo219vSIWiOJj/s1600/Nagaland+Hills.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNVpZjlYqfJZqRq0YJ8-v9IGv6ZOROAfvADT4rR7te7_yUFXqTMfg_ILCB6uEhAg-XJfDBzEGVY1T45erUov69FZC-Fi15YcPzqvSvmcasKqlIgP4nG8bK8IHAUuWkrtuo219vSIWiOJj/s320/Nagaland+Hills.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Though we are 10.5 hours of difference from Washington, DC, the time distance is more like 12 hours (India has one time zone despite spanning nearly as wide as the U.S. from east to west.) We are literally on the other side of the world.<br />
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Here are some photos of where we are staying.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7G5Hc2yHpEIrNNclD8MgK7JWrXjadus-t4qUMGWBbY1nzz9pNulrLQQ6q_kCYAQZV0jSmKVYlPLESMacEX4lY60EVDZh43MxLxYM7o7ZrbdlEeNr7YovXL2xzxGia9Q4DFDAxEE9_miPK/s1600/Heritage+room.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7G5Hc2yHpEIrNNclD8MgK7JWrXjadus-t4qUMGWBbY1nzz9pNulrLQQ6q_kCYAQZV0jSmKVYlPLESMacEX4lY60EVDZh43MxLxYM7o7ZrbdlEeNr7YovXL2xzxGia9Q4DFDAxEE9_miPK/s320/Heritage+room.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Stay tuned for more photos and posts about our Nagaland experience in coming days. (Internet is spotty. So expect delays:)</div>
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Ali Josthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08455827352741177837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6596784037728626366.post-58417351498040241492012-12-29T22:41:00.000-08:002012-12-29T22:41:06.763-08:00Delhi: Chaos Wrapped Up in Grime <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Mike and I are on day 5 of our India adventure and what a
whirlwind it has been!</div>
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<b>2:00 a.m. Dec. 26</b>
– <b>Delhi: complex and broken - </b>We
arrived into Delhi after leaving Dulles at 10p.m. on Christmas Eve. After travelling all day via London on Christmas, we got to Delhi at 2a.m. When we woke up at our hotel in Delhi later in the morning on the 26th we were greeted
by this Elephant walking on the highway outside of our hotel room. That was pretty awesome. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgca-HQEubi-R2b9OXBlSL1LUYwW2padrFhPtdiohLICfxHLDC1kKx4EyWXS-boWETiDPZjnxrpfmBP0UKA5ooFndd1N2qlnh1JTt347zxtPvN-XUcARe3w5zZC9ZnkhSWjU-jpPsPGPXBw/s1600/Elephant.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgca-HQEubi-R2b9OXBlSL1LUYwW2padrFhPtdiohLICfxHLDC1kKx4EyWXS-boWETiDPZjnxrpfmBP0UKA5ooFndd1N2qlnh1JTt347zxtPvN-XUcARe3w5zZC9ZnkhSWjU-jpPsPGPXBw/s1600/Elephant.png" /></a></div>
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The rest of first day in Delhi was…well bizarre. The entire
city is covered in a haze of fog and pollution that makes it feel as though you
have walked into a post apocalyptic, fallen city. Beneath the fog (which is unique to the December-January
months), buildings are vacated and falling down. People are squatting in parks,
in the streets, and making little fires to keep warm. Scrawny, mangy dogs are
lying around in pools of dirt; and people, bikes, mopeds, cars, rickshaws, and
the Indian helicopter (a 3 wheeled taxi that is something like a hybrid between
a car and a moped) are fighting over the same road. It’s complete chaos. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid5AUx1eelOKLGVB78TLEEk82uX8rSeV0GEZi69R8Sw3bynX0QpG-FYfVZf5211p73o6AodUFopffvFcM13c6y8xEVTRAnatKc4XIXs2gCWHb_rUeEEPWgS4G-oWPA3DjTYWYZE9rKlkDV/s1600/Agra+Street+Shot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid5AUx1eelOKLGVB78TLEEk82uX8rSeV0GEZi69R8Sw3bynX0QpG-FYfVZf5211p73o6AodUFopffvFcM13c6y8xEVTRAnatKc4XIXs2gCWHb_rUeEEPWgS4G-oWPA3DjTYWYZE9rKlkDV/s320/Agra+Street+Shot.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>3 p.m. Dec. 26 - </b>Once
we learned that we couldn’t walk around anywhere in Delhi (without being hit by
a car or picked up by an aggressive taxi driver) and we couldn’t find any
authentic open-air markets to explore, we spent a couple of hours at the house
where Gandhi lived for three months before he was assassinated. It was a
beautiful sanctuary in an otherwise crazy, broken, and chaotic city. </div>
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<b>7:00p.m.</b> <b>Dec.
26</b> - Fighting through jet lag
and sleep deprivation, Mike and I made it to dinner at a restaurant called “BBQ
Nation.” We chose it because it was highly recommended among a very short list, and it was in walking distance to our hotel. A bit atypical, the restaurant was known for its "exotic meats." In a misguided pursuit of a wow kind of dining experience, I thought it might be fun. BBQ Nation was hidden in what appeared to be an
otherwise shuttered mall and cinema house. As we gathered, fancy restaurants
where tourists and wealthy Indians go to eat are hidden within the grime. Food was ok. They placed a charcoal grill right into the center of our table. We didn't get sick. Background and loud Karaoke and dance drove Mike out.</div>
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<b>5 a.m. Dec. 27</b> – <b>TO AGRA AND THE TAJ MAHAL</b> – Mike and I
head to Agra for a day trip to see the Taj Mahal. Since www.weather.com
reported that it would be a high of 75 when we were there, we dressed rather
inappropriately. It turned out to be a high of 55. The fog was so dense and low
that the Taj Mahal appeared even more mystical and otherworldly. </div>
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The Taj Mahal and the sprawling Red Fort built by Islamic
Moguls in the 1600s are amazing landmarks. Indians are very proud of it. In
particular, the stone inlay and the carving of the marble of the building is
spectacular. </div>
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<b>8:00 p.m. Dec. 27</b>
– we were supposed to board our “fast” train to return to Delhi—but it was delayed 3
hours. Worried that 3 hours might turn into 6 because of the fog, we decided to
get a taxi back to Delhi. We were told the drive would take 3.5 hours. But the actual 7.5 hour drive turned out to be the coldest, scariest, and most frustrating driving
experiences of either of our lives. First, the fog was so dense that the driver
couldn’t really see at all. Second, it was freezing. Third, traffic was so bad
that we were driving about 25 miles per hour—that is until we were about 5
miles from our hotel when the traffic completely stopped. We spent the last 2
hours of the treacherous drive in standstill traffic on the main highway into
Delhi. At this point, we knew that our driver was almost out of gas and also
had no idea where our hotel was. It was somewhat of a miracle that we got back
to our hotel that night. It was 1a.m. – a few hours before we were to take off
for the airport for our daylong journey to Kohima, the capital city of
Nagaland. </div>
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Ali Josthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08455827352741177837noreply@blogger.com0