The Story of Nagaland’s Conversion to Christianity - 1901 - 2001

 The Story of Nagaland’s Conversion to Christianity - 1901 - 2001

How a completely dharmic/ pagan state of India with 0% Christianity was converted within a century to almost 91% Christian majority.

Nagaland is one of dharmic forces’ greatest defeats. This is how.

The first ‘head hunters’ and dangerous ‘savages’ that the British encountered in the north-east were what the outside world called as the Nagas. The British had vested interests in tea-plantations of Assam and wanted to fortify Assam with ‘pacified hills’.

This pacification meant military and religious occupation of these hills. Arunachal, then and even now was very sparsely populated and did not present such a hurdle but Nagaland was more populated and the tribes there more ferociously involved in raids. 

The Naga Hills were difficult enough as they were always laden with mist and fog; very soggy in rains; very humid in summers; and very misty and cold in winters. But they were not as inaccessible as most of Arunachal. 

This resulted in the Naga hills being more populous and it also made the Naga tribes more inclined to come down to the plains to raid and then go back. Hence they were on the priority of the British to ‘pacify’.

The British and the Christian missionaries made first contact in 1830s in Nagaland. The British led 10 raids into Naga Hills between 1839 and 1850. In 1851 there was a bloody battle in which British too bore heavy casualties. After that their policy changed.

They wanted ‘least interference’ directly from army and the State and wanted the Christian missionaries to do the job, who were only so eager to convert the ‘heathens’ to Christianity and were present ever since the British put first foot in those hills in 1832.

Brits believed that it was their ‘savage religion’ which kept Nagas savage. Once their religion was changed they would be easy to ‘pacify’. That’s how they will finally be religiously/ mentally colonized and a ‘safe Christian border’ would be created to protect British assets.

They let the missionaries run free and actively encouraged them even though the most aggressive missionaries were mostly all American like Baptists, Pentecostals, Seventh Day Adventists and Revivalists. These Protestants were much more rapacious than Catholics. 

Baptists are 75% of Naga population, making Nagaland the MOST Baptist state in the world! US, the close second, is only 55% Baptist. Baptists are one of the most aggressive Christian missionaries with ruthless suppression of pagan/ dharmic practices. 

Despite this at first there were very few conversions to Christianity. In 1901 there were only 0.59% Nagas in what is now Nagaland. But between 1880 and 1922, they changed political system in such a way that being Christian was to become economically and socially successful.

This led to an economic, classist and social gradient with Christianity as the aspiration zenith, a performative high, that everyone would aspire to. Forced re-organization of Naga society with placing of Christians as chiefs and officers resulted in a religious revolution. 

Christianity came out winning in this war of course. In 1911 Christian population increased to 2.21% and in 1921 it had become 5.43%. But the socio-political re-organization of Naga tribes resulted in a sudden spurt and in 1931 Christians were suddenly 13% of the population. 

It is the two decades of 1931-1951 that tipped the balance in Christianity’s favor. World War II saw Nagas going to Europe to fight and found universal brotherhood in Christianity. The Battle of Kohima brought the world very closely home.

World War II gave the Nagas a high. They were, for the first time on the world platform directly and the West respected one feature in them… their Christianity. That quickened the conversion process as belonging to a global westernized world was a heady drug. Nagas loved their independence, their food and many parts of their culture, but were ready to trade more than half of their practices and were forced to trade their religion completely to Christianity for having a place on world stage, and being a part of Christian globe.

Nagas declared independence one day before India’s independence but it was never recognized by Indian state. After horrible mishandling by Nehru, strife reached a high before a Nagaland state was created in 1963. But Naga terror groups continue to plague our security. 

Nagaland became a playground of all of India’s/Hindus’ enemies between 1947 – 1980, the weakest time for India. The Baptist connection was used by the USA and various other cross-border Christian terrorist orgs. All Naga terror orgs fought in the name of Christ. 

China, Myanmar, Pakistan and then Bangladesh, along with USA all used Nagas to spread terror in India by supplying them arms, by giving them safe havens across the border. Sadly, this created a competition between various Naga tribes to create their own terror groups.

And the worst sufferers were Nagas themselves who lost thousands of their folks to warfare with Indian state, and between themselves. However, on ground, the Church kept growing despite the fact that Nagas were suffering. 

Monotheistic religions seldom care about individuals. Until their registers keep showing growth in the percentage of Christians, the Christians on ground can continue suffering. And so they kept converting even after 1951 with steady growth every decade. 

In 1961, Christians grew by 7% to become 53%. In 1971 the pace had quickened with almost every tribe collapsing under the attack of Christianity and Christians became 67%. In 1981 this they increased their percentage to 80% and in 1991 to 87%.

By 2001, the dawn of the new millennium the Christian conquest of Nagaland was complete with 90% Nagas registering as Christians. The traditional religion of Nagas was entirely decimated. It is one of the worst cultural genocides of history – ethnocide in other words. 

Now Hindus and pagans are only around 8% and most of them are migrants in Dimapur and Kohima who came with business and the new tourism industry. There are scarcely any Nagas who are pagan, inside Nagaland, and now they are baptizing fellow tribes in Arunachal. 

The destruction of the native religions of Nagaland by Christianity was nothing short of a genocide and is equal to the Holocaust and the Shoah. Hindus have to see it as such and work for the resurrection of traditional Naga religion for a safe Indian border. 

There are Naga groups in Assam hills who are still Hindu and pagan. They have Ramayana traditions in them and we can take their example, make them lead and lead to a revival of Naga religiosity working under Sanātana, Hindu umbrella. 

That should be the Hindu perspective on Nagaland.