Traditional and Modern Political Institutions of The Nagas

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This book studies and brings out in details a comparative picture of the traditional and modern political institutions of governance in Nagaland with particular reference to the Sumi tribe. The Sumi Nagas are one of the major tribes in Nagaland. Chieftainship is hereditary among the Sumis. He is the chief administrator, dispenser of justice, guardian of law, founder and owner of the village. But with the onset of modern education and introduction of democratic Institutions and electoral politics, the power and position of the chief has changed and eroded to some extent. What is emerging today in the Sumi polity is a juxtaposition of old and new institutional ideas.

H. JOHN SEMA (b. 1969) (M.A, Ph.D, from NEHU, Shillong) is presently Associate Professor and Head, Department of Political Science, Nagaland Central University, Lumami. He is also Dean of Students Welfare in Nagaland University. He is the founder teacher of Department of Political Science Nagaland University since 1997, He has published several articles on Naga political issues and peace process in journals of repute.

Asociety is the product of norms, practices and customs of the people and it has territorial confines for its validity and significance. It survives on the compactness of tradition and continuity. A political tradition may be understood as a set of conviction and belief concerning the political community including the behaviour of men as a political entity. Political tradition defines how rules ought to be conducted and how the ruled behaved towards the rulers. Thus, the entire socio-political life is governed by the working of tradition.

Modernity is not only creating room for new and better tradition but also helps to enrich the existing value orientation in terms of new value that assures of a smooth progress towards image fulfilment. Modernity is not the cancellation of anything that is old. It is a continues process. Modernity is the realization of a future only in terms of the past. Thus tradition and modemity infiltrate and transform each other. It is in this regard how tradition and modernity can preserve and refine social institutions which are usually conceived as basic forces of social organization common to all societies and deals with some of the basic universal problems of ordered social life.

The Sumis are one of the major tribes in Nagaland. Geographically it is situated at the centre of Nagaland. But Politically and administratively it is in the periphery of the state because of its topographical nature coupled with lack of modern infrastructural development and lack of connectivity in terms of transport and communication.

In this study a humble attempt is made to trace the origin, migration and emergence of chiefship of Sumi tribes. There are different versions and controversies between different villages with regard to their migration from Khezhakenoma to the present place as to who first settled here. All these oral stories of origin and migration of Sumi forefathers were handed down from generation to generation in the form of folk tales, songs and genealogy.

**Contents and Sample Pages**