The Angami Public Organisation (APO) has strongly condemned a recent brochure titled “Nagaland Tourism: Exploring Culture, Heritage and Natural Beauty,” published by the Assam Rifles, for presenting incorrect information about the Angami and Chakhesang tribes. The APO pointed out multiple factual errors and expressed concern over the potentially harmful impact of such misinformation on the local community.
The brochure, which is reportedly going viral, features a main photograph intended to represent the Angami tribe. However, the APO claims that “the main photograph featured to depict the Angamis are not Angamis,” calling the representation misleading.
Additionally, the brochure inaccurately states that the Angami tribe is divided into the clans “Khoihoyi, Kezhie, Riingu, and Khezhû,” which the APO describes as “totally erroneous” since no such clans exist within the Angami tribe. The brochure also asserts that “the Angamis speak the Angami language,” which the APO corrected as “Tenyidie,” the actual language of the Angami people.
The brochure further claims that the Chakhesang tribe is associated with Dzükou Valley. The APO highlighted this as a factual error, clarifying that the Chakhesang tribe, historically known as the Eastern Angamis, is located to the east of the Naga Hills, whereas Dzükou Valley is situated in the Angami territory, to the south, separated by other Naga tribes in between.
The APO expressed its disbelief over the fact that such a mistake could occur, given that the headquarters of the Assam Rifles’ Inspector General (North) is located in the heart of the Angami homeland. The organization also criticized the frequent use of “mistaken identity” as an excuse for dehumanizing the Naga people, stressing that the error is indicative of the armed forces’ “attitude towards the local populace.”
The APO has called for the immediate cessation of the brochure’s publication, or for it to be recalled if already distributed. It further urged the public to avoid relying on any information published about the Nagas by the armed forces unless it has been authenticated by the Naga community.