ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the case of the Nagas. We examine how colonial boundary construction, both administrative and political, resulted in the consolidation of a more unified “Naga” identity from a disparate group of over 20 largely independent tribes that existed in the pre-colonial era. The Naga identity and community were further solidified during the colonial period with the introduction of Christianity and the rise of pan-Naga organizations such as the Naga Club, which pressed Naga interests in colonial politics. The Nagas, who had developed a well-defined “national” identity during the colonial period and had historical memories of self-rule, were not given sovereignty at the end of colonialism. Instead, they became a part of independent India with the construction of new boundaries and creation of new sovereignties. The Naga secessionist rebellion began almost immediately after Indian Independence. A number of “accommodative” agreements between Naga nationalists and the Indian state were signed during the postcolonial period, but they did not end the “Naga problem.” While the democratic political process has deepened in Nagaland, the armed insurgency continues under various factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN). In contrast, other NSCN leaders signed a “framework agreement” with the Government of India in 2015 for an end to the conflict, but the details of the final peace agreement remain to be finalized. Thus, the Nagas' relationship with the Indian state, not to mention the status of the armed insurgency, remains uncertain in postcolonial India.
