Vision of justice that Naga feminists dream about is based on a collective consciousness of a world where male, female and gender queer will march together and build a just society. The voices of Naga women demanding justice and equality emerge from experiences of hunger, hardship, and humiliation. The overwhelming responsibility of the women-headed households in Naga society has seldom been acknowledged in the political and public sphere. Instead, women continue to have no representative rights or visibility in the Naga traditional councils and customary assemblies. Naga women face the danger of being subsumed within an exotic cultural trope as non-speaking subjects, passive development programme participants, and tea serving smiling figures.
Reflection of Feminism in Naga Society
What is Feminism? Or what is gender disparity? Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that societies prioritize the male point of view, and that women are treated unjustly within those societies. Efforts to change that include fighting against gender stereotypes and establishing educational, professional, and interpersonal opportunities and outcomes for women that are equal to those for men.
Like many nationalist societies around the world, the issue of gender justice and rights have remained marginal for a long time. We were told that issues like women’s rights or gender justice could wait till the Naga people gained their freedom. In that context, what did it mean to bestow any kinds of rights on women in Naga society? When terms like gender ‘rights’ and ‘equality’ remain extremely resentful terms for a larger section of powerful Naga traditional bodies, they become meaningless words. There are various arguments with regard to the position of women in the tribal societies. Some are of the opinion that women are generally assign with high status while other argue that women were no better than a mere sex object or otherwise of an inferior. Generally Naga society practices the patrilineal and patriarchy system. Such a system has the norms and attitudes of patriarchy which affects the status of women. Institution and tradition are inspired by the belief in male dominance and female inferiority. Although patriarchy persists in all contemporary societies, its impact varies from tribe to tribe and from region to region including the Naga societies. The traditional Naga society consider women as an equal partner to men in word but the word equal could not be considered because women were not considered as equal with men in practice.
In order to do away with such disparities and to uplift the status of the women in the society, Naga women have started and formed various associations like the Naga Mother’s Association, Watsu Mungdang, etc. The Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA) is a prominent civil society organisation formed by women in Nagaland. The organisation has consistently tried to address problems of conflict, peace building and substance abuse by creating a platform for dialogue that brings together disparate voices. Ever since its formation, through the 80s and 90s, NMA have consistently voiced their opinion against fratricidal killings, violence between different Naga outfits such as NSCN (I-M) and NSCN (K). The NMA was established in 1984 in Kohima, against the backdrop of the Nagaland Conflict, rampant alcoholism, and drug problems. For women in Nagaland, the NMA became an umbrella organisation, which brought together the women’s wings of different Naga tribes like the Angamis, the Aos, etc. Neidonuo Angami was one of the founding members of NMA. Popularly known as the ‘Mother of Peace’, she served as its General Secretary from 1984 to 1994. Drug addiction was a rampant problem in Nagaland during the 1980s. This brought together women from different walks of life to fight this menace. “In the beginning, the biggest issue affecting homes was drug addiction,” according to Abei-U Meru, a founder and former NMA president. “The mothers came together because it was hurting every home.”
The Article 371 A and male traditional bodies alike are responsible for excluding the Naga women from all spheres of representative political processes. Article 371 (A) is a prime example that bestows the Naga male bodies to have full authority and power to interpret customary affairs covering social, religious, and criminal cases. Also government’s attempts to implement 33% reservation for women in Urban Local Body elections, which has brought Nagaland to a standstill and even after Supreme Court’s order, Government of Nagaland is all busy buying more time to conduct elections. Municipal elections have been deferred for years because local tribal bodies believe that insisting on women’s representation in these polls goes against Naga customary law, safeguarded by Article 371(A) of the Indian Constitution.
Women are supposed to be able to accomplish everything they desire in today’s world, yet they still confront gender discrimination in the form of inequality, favoritism, and men suppressing their voices. The need for the upliftment and empowerment of women in Indian society, where for a long time women have been considered to be the inferior gender and are not provided equal opportunities and working conditions as compared to that provided to men. To know the status of women, an understanding of empowerment is necessary. Women always have a deliberate role to play in society which leads to the development of the economy. The goal of enlightening the Nagaland state will be achieved only if women are brought up to a level where they can participate in all walks of life. The goal of economic equality can be achieved through women’s involvement in the process of empowerment.
Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thought will delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College. The editors are Dr. Hewasa Lorin, Dr. Aniruddha Babar, Dr. Putchong Thai, Dr. Jenny Lalmuanpuii, Rinsit B Sareo, and Kvulo Lorin.
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