History of Nagaland: The Timeline

The Nagas have a very long and wonderful history filled with centuries of bravery and pride. We have our own set of principles and our own ways of life. Nothing in this world could’ve suited us more appropriately than what we had with us. We understood and followed our own tradition- a tradition that taught a man to be a man and a woman to be a woman; a tradition that taught discipline, courage, respect and honor, broadmindedness and honesty. The cultural and traditional customs of the Nagas is a wonderful subject (which we will be dealing with in my forthcoming articles).

                However, the political part of the history, when it set in, became a watershed in the history of the Nagas. Nagaland as a state does not have an exhaustive history and can be summed up within a few decades. But within this few period of time, numerous historical events have taken place which are still important today and still play vital roles in shaping the political affairs of the state. Here, when I say political history, I mean the part of the history when outsiders (British-Indian entities) started to get involved in the lives of the Nagas.

              

  Today I will be taking you through the History of the Nagas from the time when we were first introduced to outsiders till just a few years back, based on a timeline in a chronological order. It will be quick and concise, but at the same time it will contain necessary details on certain events. This will be especially helpful for those preparing for the Nagaland Civil Service examination.

1832	British’s first visit to the Naga Hills (January: Captain Francis Jerkins and RB Pemperton with 700 Manipuri troops and 800 coolies marched through Mao and Angami villages from Imphal to reach Assam).
1839	The British led an expedition in the Naga Hill under the command of Sub-assistant, Grange.
1847	A military post was established in Samaguting (present day Chumukedima).
1851	11th-12th Feb: Battle of Kikruma (the 10th and the last military expedition by British in the Naga Hills).
1866	Formation of the Naga Hills district under the state of Assam; the first administrative headquarter established in Samaguting.
1872	The Gospel of Christ enters the Naga Hills through the American Missionaries.
1873	Inner Line Regulations was passed (basically, a regulation that restricts outsiders from going beyond a certain boundary without a permit/pass from the Deputy Commissioner).
1875	14th Nov: Naga Hills district HQ established in Wokha.
1876	First American Baptist Mission in Naga Hills at Molungyimsen village by Rev. E. W. Clark.
1878	NH district HQ moved to Kohima.
1879	4th Oct:  British Political Officer G.H. Damant killed in Khonoma; 22nd Nov: Battle of Khonoma (the 4th and the last Anglo-Khonoma war, where 3 British officers were killed-Major C.R. Cook, Sub. Major Nurbir Sai and Lt. H.H. Furbes).
1880	Anglo-Khonoma peace treaty.
1889	Ao areas came under the British rule.
1892	Every part of the present day Nagaland came under the East India Company rule except Tuensang.
1918	Formation of Naga Club at Kohima under the leadership of R.S. Ruichumhao, with its chief concern being the political future of the Nagas (some 2000 Nagas had been sent to France to participate as labour corps in WW-I (1914-18), and that’s when the Nagas were first exposed to the real world affairs); Lt. Dr. Neilhouzhu Kire becomes the first Naga matriculate (passed class 10).
1919	Under the GoI Act 1919, the Governor General declared NH district as a “backward tract”.
1923	Lotha Council established.
1924	Lt. A. Kevichusa from Khonoma becomes the first Naga graduate(BA).
1926	Lt. Lhoulienyu becomes the 2nd Naga graduate(BA).
1927	Lt. Mayangnokcha, the third Naga graduate and the first amongst the Ao tribe.
1928	Ao Council established.
1929	10th Jan: Simon Commission visits Kohima(it is a statutory body consisting of Sir John Simon, Clement Atlee and E.Cadogan).
1930-32	Haipou Jadonang and his cousin Rani Gaidinliu led several revolts against the British which led to the hanging of the former in 1931 and imprisonment of the latter in 1932(she was released in 1947).
1935	Under the GoI Act 1935, the Naga Hills was declared as “Excluded Area”.
1944	War Memorial at Kohima 4th April to 22nd June: Battle of Kohima between the Japanese and the Allied forces.
1945	Naga Hills District Tribal Council was established in April with the help of the last British Deputy Commissioner of the Naga Hills, Charles Pawsey.
1946	A meeting was held at Wokha on March and Naga Hills District Tribal Council was renamed as Naga National Council(NNC), with T. Aliba Imti as it first President.
1947	June: Nine Point Agreement signed between GoI represented by Governor of Assam, Akbar Hydari, and NNC; 19th July: NNC  met Mahatma Gandhi at Bhangi Basti in New Delhi to put forward the claim of Naga independence; 14th Aug: NNC under the leadership of A.Z. Phizo declared Naga independence; 29th Oct: Naga Students’ Federation(NSF) was established.
1948	T.Ao(front-middle) along with the team Phizo founded the People’s Independence League; Dr. Talimeren Ao becomes the first Captain of Indian Football team to represent the country in the Olympics in England.
1950	A.Z. Phizo joins NNC.
1951	16th May: the Naga Plebiscite (99.9% of the population voted in favour of Naga independence- but this was denied acknowledgement by the government of India).
1952	The Nagas boycott the first general election of India under the direction of NNC.
1953	March: The then PM of India, Jawaharlal Nehru visits Kohima along with the Burmese PM, U Nu.
1954	The once peaceful NNC takes up arms against the Indian army (uprising in Huker, Kiphire and Shamator); A. Kevichusa becomes the first Naga IAS officer.
1956	March: the NNC founded the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN).
1957	22nd-26th Aug: first Naga People’s Convention was held at Kohima Town, with Dr. Imkongliba Ao as its first Chairman (1756 delegates attended) - where it decided to carve out Tuensang division out of the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) and add it to the Naga Hills, which would then be collectively known as Naga Hills Tuensang Area (NHTA); 1st Dec: NHTA came into being with 3 districts, namely Kohima, Mokokchung and Tuensang.
1958	21st-23rd May: the second Naga People’s Convention at Ungma village.
1959	22nd-26th Oct: the third Naga People’s Convention at Mokokchung Town(here a 16 Point Agreement was drawn up and submitted to the then PM of India- some of the points include creation of a separate state of Nagaland and formation of an interim body for it.
1961	18th Feb: NHTA renamed as NAGALAND; an interim body inaugurated at Kohima(it was a 21 member body with P. Shilu Ao as the Chief Executive Councillor.
1962	The State of Nagaland Act (the 13th Constitutional Amendment) passed.
1963	1st Dec: Nagaland as the 16th state of the Indian union gets inaugurated in Kohima by the then President of India, Lt. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. Lt. Vishnu Sahay becomes the first Governor of Nagaland; Article 371-A of the Indian Constitution gets enforced on the same day; 21st Oct: Democratic Party of Nagaland formed(with the “COCK” symbol and the motto “Fide Non Armis”) under the leadership of A. Kevichusa, which was eventually renamed as Naga People’s Front(NPF).
1964	10th-16th Jan: first General State Election conducted for 46 seats; 11th Feb: the first Nagaland Legislative Council constituted; NBCC constitutes Peace Mission with Rev. Michael Scott, B.P. Chaliha and JP Narayan as its members; 6th Sept: cease fire declared between GoI and naga underground.
1964-74	Melhupra Vero becomes the first MP from Nagaland.
1965	June: the first Transport service inaugurated in Nagaland.
1971	The First census conducted in the state of Nagaland.
1972	31st Aug: GoI bans NNC, FGN and Naga Federal Army under ‘Unlawful Activities Act, 1967’; Nagaland Peace Council formed under the Leadership of Longri Ao.
1973	Nagaland breaks up into 7 districts with the creation of Phek, Wokha, Mon and Zunheboto.
1975	The Shillong Accord signed between GoI represented by the Governor of Nagaland, L.P. Singh and some representatives of underground groups; Rano M. Shaiza becomes the first Naga woman to be a Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha).
1977	Banuo Z. Jamir becomes the first Naga woman to become an IAS officer.
1979	Pulie Badze wildlife sanctuary established in Kohima.
1980	31st Jan: NNC splits leading to the creation of National Socialist Council of Nagaland(NSCN)- its leaders: Isak Chishi Swu, Thuigaleng Muivah and S. S. Khaplang.
1983	April: Hokishe Sema becomes the first Naga Governor of an Indian state(Himachal Pradesh).
1988	30th April: Split in NSCN leading to the creation of NSCN(IM) headed by Isak Swu and Th. Muivah, and NSCN(K) headed by Khaplang.
1990	Nagaland Post becomes the state’s first published news daily.
1993	Mayangnokcha Award Trust was established in honour of Lt. Mayangnokcha, the Father of Education.
1994	Nagaland University Logo 6th Sept: Nagaland University comes into being as the 13th Central University and the only central university in Nagaland, through the Nagaland University Act, 1989; Naga Hoho founded at Wokha.
1997	1st Aug: Ceasefire agreement between the NSCN(IM) and GoI; Dimapur district established in November.
1998	Cathedral established in Kohima.
2000	1st to 5th Dec: first Hornbill festival celebrated in Kohima.
2001	28th April: Ceasefire agreement between NSCN(K) and GoI; the Nagaland Municipal Act gets passed.
2002	Nagaland Communitization and Public Services and Institutions Act passed in Nagaland Legislative Assembly; President APJ Abdul Kalam visits Nagaland.
2003	28th Oct: The Indira Gandhi stadium at Kohima was inaugurated by the then PM of India, Atal Bihari Vachpayee.
2004	26th Jan and 11th Feb: Kiphire, Longleng and Peren were formed as the 9th, 10th and the 11th districts of Nagaland, respectively.
2005	1st April: VAT implemented in Nagaland.
2007	23rd Nov: Formation of NSCN (Unification)
2008	Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) formed in February (with the objective to facilitate reconciliation among the Naga political groups).
2010	NIT Nagaland established by GoI in Silchar, Assam (it was later shifted to Chumukedima, Dimapur in 2012); 26th Feb: first ever children Film Festival held in Nagaland(Dimapur).
2015	PM Modi and Th. Muivah along with other officials during the signing of the Peace accord. 6th April: NSCN(Reformation) formed under Y. Wangtin Konyak and P. Tikhak. 3rd Aug: the historic Nagaland Peace Accord was signed between NSCN(IM) and GoI(eventually, many civil organisations and other stake holders became part of it).
2016	Lt. Isak Chishi Swu(1929-2016) 28th March: Tokheho Sema is conferred the Padma Shri award in the field of ‘Public Affairs’(becoming the 9th Padma Shri awardee from Nagaland); 28th June: Isak Chishi Swu, Chairman of NSCN(IM), dies.
2017	“Year of Plantation”

                (The contents of this article were drawn out from at least 6 sources, and verification and re-verification from at least two, in order to do my best at bringing out authenticity. However, as we all know, it is very difficult to rightly recognise which information is correct and which is not- with regard to many historical events in Nagaland- as different authors present varied information on certain topics. Therefore, if you find anything here that is certainly not factually correct, please put it up in the comment section. And if you find this article helpful, do your friends a favor and share it).