Book review: G. Kanato Chophy. 2021. Christianity and Politics in Tribal India: Baptist Missionaries and Naga Nationalism

Christianity and Politics in Tribal India emphasises the central role that Christianity, specifically Baptist Christianity, played in the evolution of the Naga identity and self. Writings on the history of Christianity in Nagaland tend to focus on individual tribes. This is an easier path to take, methodologically speaking, as the impact and implications of Christianity on one particular community are easier to enunciate. However, Chophy takes the road less travelled—Thomas (2017) is an earlier example—and offers a comparative study of Christianity among various tribes.

The nine chapters of the book unveil the establishment of the mission outposts in the region from the time of the arrival of American Baptist missionaries to the dissemination and internalising of the faith among the tribes that came to constitute the Nagas. The story, the author is keen to show, is not necessarily one of triumph but rather one of negotiation and engagement with various challenges; it is the story of how the Nagas re-fashion themselves as Christians—and identify and work out what it means to be Christian—and of the historical contingencies associated with such a re-working. The book eventually ends in the post-independence struggle marked by ideas of separatist nationalism that had as their bedrock the carefully produced Baptist Christianity.

Christianity and Politics sets out to shatter many of the assumptions that people have with regard to Christianity: the pivotal role of Western missionaries in the matter of conversions, the destruction of local cultures and, for some reason, a somewhat seamless adoption of the faith by the converts. Chophy is able to convincingly shatter these myths. While the American Baptist missionaries who came to the region were no doubt instrumental in the propagation of the faith, indigenous workers did most of the mission work; they pioneered the mission to the other tribes in the post-independence period. Thus, although American missions were set up among the Aos (1876), Angamis (1880) and Lothas (1885), the Aos’ mission work took Christianity to the Sangtams, and the Sumis’ to the Angamis. The consequence of such mission outreach was notions of closer proximity between tribes even among the Nagas, leading sometimes to the creation of a secondary macro-identity like the Chakhesang and Pochury—each a conglomeration of three tribes.

At the same time, Chophy adds, the secondary mission-isation created differentiations and hierarchies among the tribes over when the access to modernity began, the earlier ones being considered superior. The bulk of the conversions in the Naga Hills occurred after the foreign missionaries were asked to leave the state, in the period after independence, suggesting that the local missionaries were independent and effective. In the context of the allegation of the destruction of cultures, Chophy’s work suggests that was never a question for the converts themselves, because conversion provided them the means to address the changed circumstances and re-configure one’s culture even as the introduction of literacy became a powerful tool for self-expression.

Chophy’s method is historical. Ethnography also forms a mainstay of the book, though it is limited to trying to see the past through the window of the present, by tracking down descendants of important actors in the past to understand those actors’ actions. An example of this method is in the narration of the rise and emergence of Gaidinliu and the Heraka cult she inherited from Jadonang, which she propagated after his death. Their descendants, staunch Baptists, live off and honour that heritage; the complex negotiations they need to make offer a glimpse into what it takes to be a Naga Christian today. Further complexity stems from the fact that Gaidinliu is increasingly being appropriated by Indian nationalists, and her faith provides a firm toehold for them to enter the politico-religious scenario of the state.

The Gaidinliu example is a reminder that the conversion to Christianity is not complete among the Nagas; the religious space is contested not only by the followers of the Heraka cult but also by others, such as Yahoi Walim, a movement among the Konyak Nagas characterised by Chophy as a ‘blend of primal religion and Christianity, with a dash of Hinduism and a topping of ethnonationalism’ (p. 250). Such movements claim to practise the religion of their ancestors but replicate Christianity in worship and organisation.

The strength of the work lies in the author’s focus on the rise of the Naga nationalist movement that led to the underground movement. Chophy highlights the important role the early ‘Baptist intellectuals’ (p. 303)—such as Longri Ao, Christian in faith, practice and training—played in creating a political consciousness. The later Naga independence movement was infructuous, with arguments over methods to be followed—violent or non-violent, whether to accept Communism or not—between the early leaders (such as Phizo and Muivah). The challenge that Communism posed, especially to the personal beliefs of the leaders who were trained in China, is brought up. In the end, Communist ideology could not come in the way of those who had by then dedicated themselves completely to Baptist ideology.

Christianity and Politics in Tribal India is an important work that focusses on the establishment of Christianity in the Naga Hills from colonial times to the present. The developments are presented with fascinating background stories and details that can come only from an insider who understands the nuances of the region. The book is extremely readable and accessible in terms of language, the author clearly steering away from the use of unnecessary jargon. It is an essential introductory monograph for anyone who wishes to understand religion and politics in Nagaland. However, the book is not without fault.

The author is quite invested in showing that the Christianity practised in the Naga Hills is Baptist. Thus, it was not only to Christianity that the people were converting but to a Baptist faith. In fact, the author provides a neologism, ‘Baptist country’, for the areas in the North-East, including parts of Burma, where there are Baptist populations. A specificity about the kind of Christianity that is practised is stressed, raising more questions than answers. How different is the Baptist faith from others, especially in belief and practice? What does being Baptist mean that is different from the other Protestant faiths that emerged from the Evangelical movements in England? One would expect that the use of the Baptist category as an analytical tool would bring out particularities that make the Nagas distinct from other converts, especially other Protestant/Evangelical faiths. However, this is not to be. In other words, the author differentiates Baptists from other Christians and is careful enough not to even use them as synonyms; however, it is not clear what this lens implies. The author mentions, albeit in passing, the establishment of other denominations such as the charismatics, but how they complicate the understanding of Baptist country is left to the imagination of the reader. On the whole, however, Kanato Chophy’s monograph is a compelling and fascinating read.