Once upon a time, Naga kitchen was flourished with traditional rice-beer. Naga festivals without rice-beer are unthinkable and unnatural. Like what wine is to the Italian, whisky to the Scotchman, rice-beer is the Naga. Visitors are quenched with rice-beer. Host never allowed rice-beer mug to stand empty. Paddy was abundant for rice-beer. Naga toil hard on the fields and it is rice-beer that refreshed them.
Incoming of American Baptist Mission and Christianity enforced teetotalism of drinking rice-beer. Indeed, this had done great damaged to the existence of rice-beer and its cultural value. Christian converts taught that drinking rice-beer, would be burn in hell. Today, section of Naga population detests the smell of rice-beer, naming as “foul liquid,” and look-down as “un-Baptist” material. Traditional rice-beer that was wisely invented by the Naga headhunters is now slowly vanishing in Naga menu. So is the feast of merry. Renowned anthropologist Furer-Haimendorf [1939: 53] wrote: ‘As a substitute for rice-beer the Mission had introduced, tea, which drunk without milk is greatly inferior in nutritive value. Its other disadvantage is that it has to be bought for hard cash, whereas rice-beer is brewed at home from surplus rice….” [“The Naked Nagas” Calcutta: Thacker, Spink & Co. Pvt Ltd.]
Tax, Red Cloth and Sugar… :
White skin colonialist encroached to the Naga country could be traced back to 1830s. They came wearing a mask called “expedition” [military] and land survey for tea cultivation. Nagas resisted and put up challenged against the pony riding white skins and their assistants Gurkha soldiers and bounded Coolies for intruding their well guarded land. This resistant was called “raiding.” The white colonialists and their allied had superior weapons and organizational skills slowly began to occupy the Naga country at different stages.
Let me narrate my understanding of colonialism very briefly like Naga bed time folk stories.
Tax :
Indeed, colonialism, education and Christianity came hand in hand [including sugar]. These three concepts were implemented by the white people to the Naga society. At first, Nagas were perplexed and amazed when they changed the traditional exchanging mode of commodity, the barter system. This was replaced by silver coin called Ana, Rupee. Nagas eventually learned the valued of silver coin and its mode of exchange. Money became the main trading element not the labour, rice, chilly and salt.
The clever white colonialists who are expert in trading, administration and subjugation introduced something called “tax” [revenue]. This was totally unknown to the Nagas. Nagas hated this new imported system of collection of household tax. However, under this new system Nagas began to paid tax unwillingly and detestfully. So the expedition was transformed into colonial expansion. Nagas became subject. Nagas paid money for living on their land. Addressed them Great Sahib. Once proud headhunters were employed as Coolie and bowed down to the new authority.
Red Cloth :
Almost red in colour called Union Jack flew Naga country. Red flag indicating we are the authentic ruler. Red colour, it is said that in human colour psychology, red is associated with heat, energy and blood and emotions that “stir the blood,” including anger, passion and love. Red also used as a symbol of courage and sacrifice. It also carries a largely positive connotation, being associated with courage, loyalty, honor, success, fortune, fertility, happiness, passion, and summer
Yes, the colour is red. It is the red cloths of the colonial government that overpowered traditional village council’s executive, judiciary and administration. The red colour cloth in the form of blanket was given to the village headman [gaonbura] and his councilors by the colonial master. I don’t know when [date and year] exactly this red colour cloth appeared in the village administration. But this red colour served and maintained as a symbol of colonial authority and controlled. To greet colonial administrators Nagas wear red cloths. Of cause careless it hands over the shoulder. Even today, Nagas wore them with great “dignity.” The village headman and his assistants gladly received colonial’s red colour cloths from the Indian administrators or VIP. In return, Nagas gifted the beautiful indigenous Naga attire to them.
The point is that why so fancy about that cheap colonial red colour cloth. Is the colonial mindset still empowered the administration. Otherwise discard in the archive.
Sugar :
Missionaries not only gave basic education but train the convert from amongst the indigenous people to spread Christianity among the non-Christian. Converted “educated” Naga like Khaki short and a mauve coat and adopting the “custom” of the white man. More hymn than folk songs. Drink tea in any gathering. The taste was change. Unfortunately, the white missionaries failed to inform Nagas that the oldest times wine and beer have been drunk throughout Christendom.
Since inception of Christianity, the rice-beer was “alienated” and eventually earned “bad reputation.” Now many people avoid the humble rice-beer. But at the same time, some Nagas cannot ignore the temptation of the rice-beer taste so drink “secretly.” Still many of my villagers hold the rice-beer mug firmly with pride.
Today, Naga kitchen welcome with sugar and mostly in the form of black tea. Sugar is sweet and as well as attached “power.” If you do not offer tea to the visitors it is considered as “bad host” or because of “poor family.” Sugar also creates “disparity,” “hierarchy” and “hegemony.” In the village [most of the Naga village does not have tea hotel], sugar-less household often visited “able-household” to taste sugar in the morning. In the circumstances, “have-sugar” household embedded them and maintained the hegemony. Those who are regular sugar-drinkers in the have-sugar household sooner or later developed compulsion to say “no” to the sugar provider household in any altercation situation. In other words, sugar played interesting politics in village gossip.
From colonial and post-colonial time, Nagas must have spent lakhs of money in sugar buying business. More expenditure was added in buying condensed milk. So in the narration of colonial rule in Naga country, sugar do many role and game.
Indeed, the sweetness has both good and bad taste. Sugar is uses in different purposes. Most common man used is in tea and coffee either black or with milk and lemon. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian consumed sugar. Even diabetes person take this sweetened material in the form of sugar free. It is learned that sugar was the single most valuable bulk commodity traded internationally before oil became the world’s prime resource. Apart from diabetes, sugar can cause tooth-decay, obesity, gout and cancer. Being half-baked narration I drink tea/coffee and unwillingly pay tax.