LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 15:2 February 2015
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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M. S. Thirumalai
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Christianity and Social Change among the Naga Tribes of Manipur

M. Thanmung, Ph.D.

Abstract

Manipur state is a border state in the North Eastern corner of India. The Nagas are a group of people who belong to the Mongoloid stock. The Naga is a generic name for the group of tribes inhabiting Nagaland, Northern Manipur and the bordering districts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in Indian and Somra tract in Myanmar. There are fifteen (15) Naga tribes in Manipur. Here the writer specially refers to the Naga Tribes of Manipur.

This work discusses how social change occurs in Naga Society of Manipur State of North East India. It specially emphasize on the impact of Christianity in the social life of the Naga tribes of Manipur State. In this context, the study of the impact of Christianity means the social change that has been brought about in the Naga Society, not only because of accepting and following the Christian doctrines and principles but also because of the activities of Christian missionaries. The missionaries made it a condition that if an individual had to worship God, he must be able to read. Therefore, the involvement of the missionaries in educational programmes was to be viewed as supplementary to the primary task of communicating the spiritual message to the people.

This work discusses how the advent of Christianity into Manipur marks the beginning of a new life and how its introduction into the hills is pregnant with many effects of far reaching importance.

It discusses some of the most important ways such as church polity, education and literature through which Christianity helped to shape the new culture in the tribal society. They enabled the tribes to adjust to the situation that had been forced upon them without losing their sense of distinct identity. Through church polity, new structures of tribal identity were created through education and literature. Christianity provided the people with the skill necessary to function by themselves within the new order.

This work also discusses how when the animists were converted into Christianity, their live were transformed into a newer and richer life. How the new culture taught them about personnel cleanliness.

It is also pointed out how the introduction of common language through education by the missionary brought wider social relations involving different villagers living in the region. Again my discussion also includes how the process of modernization and growth of education brought about consciousness in the mind of the people and how a Naga tribe like Tangkhul (one of the Naga tribes of Manipur) came to know that they belonged to a Naga tribe thus promoting solidarity.

Key words: Naga tribes, Tangkhul Naga, Christianity, social change

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

M. Thanmung, NET., Ph.D.
Chingmeirong
Imphal East District
Manipur
India
mthanmun@gmail.com
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