The Gospel and Its Impact on the Socio-culture and Religious Life of the Zeme Nagas in North East India (A Historical Perspective)

The gospel came in the North East India just a century ago. Even the Zemes living in North East India have embraced the gospel just a century ago through the work of their neighbouring tribes. This book describes how the gospel reached the Zeme people and how much the gospel has impacted the Zeme tribe in various aspects. As soon as the gospel reached the tribe, the former Welsh Missions stationed in the Cachar hills district have contributed much of their works to the Zeme community in various ways. The works of the missionaries have brought tremendous change to the Zeme people in various aspects of their lives socially, culturally and religiously. It has also seen some impacts which may be termed as negative reaction to the gospel among the Zemes. That is, a new form of faith known Heraka emerged which replaced the primal religious beliefs and practices of the Zemes. This book traces the story of the coming of the gospel among the Zeme Nagas and how the gospel has brought tremendous changesin their lives.

Rev. Pauduateing Newme is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian church of India, Cachar Hill Tribes Synod. He graduated his B.Th (1993) from the then Cherra Theological College, Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya; B.D (1998) from the Aizawl Theological College, Aizawl, Mizoram. He graduated B.A (2006) from Haflong Govt. College under Assam University, while he was in his pastoral ministry. And later he graduated M.Th (2012) in the Department of Christian Ministry, Christian Education from the Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, Maharastra. He has served as a Pastor under the Cachar Hill Tribes Synod in Dima Hasao District of Assam. He is presently the principal of the Presbyterian Theological Institute, CHT Synod Haflong, which is an affiliated centre for Senate Examination of the external theological studies.

The Zeme tribe are the indigenous people of the state of Assam, North East India, in the present Dima Hasao district, formerly, the North Cachar Hills. They also scattered around in other states of North East India, such as in Manipur and Nagaland. They belong to the tribe of the Nagas who also belongs to Mongoloid races. There are sizable population in the North Cachar Hill district of Assam. They are collectively known as the Zeliangrong, the kindred tribe of Zeme, Liangmei and Rongmei compactly living in the three states of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. The Gospel came among the tribe in the first decade of the last twentieth century through the neighbouring tribe, the Biates, and later reached by the Welsh missions just few years after they embraced the gospel. Despite their acceptance of the gospel a century ago, the Zeme Christians have not made much progress numerically and qualitatively. They have not yet studied the beginning of Christianity in their tribe. The proposition for discerning the selected topic explains the need of the study and it will be a masterpiece for future research.

The study is to trace the history of the coming of the gospel and embrace of the gospel by the tribe. It consists of a historical description based on whatever sources available like ecclesiastical sources, interviews and correspondence with church leaders. Library research is not possible due to the absence of scholarly written sources.

The entrance of Christianity in North Cachar Hills was first to the Biate tribe. It was in the first decade of the last twentieth century that the Zemes of North Cachar Hills (N. C. Hills), Assam received the gospel through the Biate itinerant evangelist. By this time the Welsh Presbyterian Missions in Khasi Hills extended their Mission Field to N.C. Hills. While the Zemes received the gospel from the Biate brethren, it was due to the Welsh Mission that the Zeme Christians. formed one of the Churches in N.C. Hills, Assam. Despite early beginnings the Zeme Christians have not yet made much progress numerically and qualitatively. As a result the history of Christianity among them remained yet to be studied. They also confronted the problem of limited knowledge about the history of their former Zeme Christians due to unavailability of sources. This explains the proposition for discerning the selected issue in the first place.

With the advent of Christianity the Zeme experienced changes in socio-political, economic, cultural and religious life. For example, the transition from head-hunting life to better social life, illiterate to literate and unsophisticated tribal life and its religious to liberative Christian life and faith through the teachings of Christianity.

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