Writing Every-Day in Translation: Thoughts on Genre, Language, and the “Translated Naga”

Abstract

This paper examines indigenous epistemologies and the ways in which oral/verbal forms contribute to the archive of a people. By placing the central focus on the 66+ communities who identify under the exonym “Naga” situated across Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, and parts of Arunachal in the north- eastern part of India, the essay hopes to study emerging literature of the Nagas who are striving to find commonality between the language of speech and the language of writing.

Keywords:

• Oral cultures
• language translation
• Northeast India
• Naga
• literature

Notes

1 The Zeme words were translated in collaboration with Mr. Tinggeu Zeme, a native speaker of the Zeme-Naga dialect.

2 In 1948, A.Z. Phizo, while incarcerated at Calcutta’s Presidency jail wrote a letter to Rajagopalacharia (first Governor-Genera of free India) stating: “In this transitional period of history, we the Nagas are in a very delicate position” (taken from J.P. Wouters 2018).

3 Black, Indigenous, People of Colour.

4 Iralu’s work A Naga Saga mentions the 66 communities.

5 Often in social settings among Nagas, when one is questioned ‘What community do you belong to?’, the answer usually is ‘Zeme Naga’ or ‘Tangkhul Naga’. While this is a true assertion (‘Yes, I am a Naga’), it is the student scholar’s speculation that the use of the term ‘Naga’ as the suffix here bears the result of a neurotic claim to identity. This fear (hence the urgent claiming) is enhanced when the speaker belongs to a place ‘outside’ of Nagaland, such as Manipur or Assam. ‘Naga’ functions as a common desirable denominator, and so it often runs the risk of larger Naga communities (on Nagaland) dominating ‘Naga’ narratives of who is ‘more Naga than the other’.

6 As a Naga myself who has lived in part, the realities of Nagaland and Manipur, the statement holds ground. It would be right to state that this is not always the case, and yet, in a way, it is too. While my intention is not to say that the Nagaland government should extend economic and welfare schemes to Naga citizens who essentially register their vote in another state (Assam, Arunachal or Manipur), I hope to address the social and cultural nuances of ‘what is a Naga.’

7 A peace treaty was signed in 1997 only to be violated a number of times. For some factions, the struggle for self-determination still continues.

8 I had used the term in my M.A thesis The Question of Naga Identity: Temsula Ao and Easterine Kire, as a keyword to address the oscillations in Naga identity. A word that does not peg ‘Naganess’ (Ao 2014) to one specific trait, community, occupation, or narrative, I hope to study the Zeme or Zeme Naga (as popularly stated in local media and papers) language and community.

9 ‘Apeu’ translates as ‘father’. Used in respect when addressing an older male in family or among relatives.

10 Respectful term for older women, especially related to one’s parents.

11 The Raiot is an independent magazine based in Meghalaya. Over the years, it has become a space where issues pertaining to the Northeast are critically discussed. The article I refer to here was published on 3rd June 2021. https://raiot.in/letters-between-a-lepcha-geographer-and-a-naga-anthropologist/

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Haidamteu Zeme N

Haidamteu Zeme N is a PhD fellow at the Humanities and Social Sciences department at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Her research interests are translation studies, comparative literature, indigenous cultures, language systems, and the processes of archiving. Her publications include a paper "What Role does Translation Play for the Nagas?" published by DRC, Delhi University 2019 and a poem titled “Perfunctory Citizen” addressing racial profiling of migrants in urban metropolises published by Notion Press in 2020. She is currently a part of the Zubaan Publishers Research Grant for young researchers from the Northeast, 2023. She also maintains a personal blog on her translation journey between Zeme-English. https://translationfornagas.wordpress.com/