HT Correspondent
DIMAPUR, May 2: Two Naga villages – one belonging to the Angami Naga tribe and the other the Ao Naga tribe – celebrated the 25th year of brotherhood at Ungma village under Mokokchung district on Saturday.
To cement their commitment for the future, the two villages formally adopted the ‘Ungma Declaration’, pledging to continuously strengthen and carry forward their unique bond of friendship.
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Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio, who belongs to the Angami Naga tribe and former chief minister SC Jamir, who belongs to the Ao Naga tribe, attended the ceremony, held under the theme ‘To Bolster Amity’, as the chief guest and honoured dignitary respectively.
Nagaland Speaker Sharingain Longkumer was the chief host of the historic event.
Addressing the programme, Rio shared the background of the brotherhood between the two villages, revealing that the bond was the brainchild of himself and Jamir.
“The core vision was to build a bridge of friendship with all Aos through Ungma and with all Angamis and Tenyimias through Tuophema, ultimately radiating that peace to all Nagas,” he stated.
Rio urged the gathering to introspect, retrospect and carry forward the legacy established by the two villages, pushing them to expand this friendship to the rest of the Naga family.
Rio expressed his deep satisfaction at seeing the younger generation actively carrying forward this tradition through various exchange programmes and social engagements.
In his address, Jamir provided valuable insights of the brotherhood between the two villages, calling for urgent peace and unity among the Nagas.
Reflecting on his long and storied political career, Jamir lamented that there was no ‘ism’ among the Nagas in the past, noting that there was only one apex body under which all tribal hohos (bodies) worked in perfect harmony.
Expressing deep concern over the current state of the Naga society, Jamir warned that tribalism has gone to extremes, factions, both underground and overground, have multiplied and materialism is crushing morality.
He made a fervent appeal for a drastic change in outlook and attitude among the Nagas, urging a renewed vision to build a stronger, more peaceful and prosperous Nagaland. In a highly symbolic move toward wider integration, Ungma village donated three plots of land during the programme. These were officially handed over to the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation, the Central Nagaland Tribes Council and the Tenyimia Union Nagaland by Rio.
