Building the ‘Naga Bridge’: Tribe hohos, FNR and NPGs push for common table

Representatives of 28 Naga tribe hohos, including the Tirap-Changlang-Longding People’s Forum, 12 Naga political groups (NPGs) and the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) gathered at Medziphema on Tuesday in an atmosphere marked by openness, humility, and a shared longing for the Naga people to advance together, firm in the conviction that the path forward lay in the collective act of building the “Naga bridge.”
FNR in a statement asserted that the symbolic bridge was not merely metaphorical, but foundationally grounded in the historical and political rights of the Nagas, affirmed in the Simon Commission’s report (1929), the Naga Declaration of Independence (1947), and the Naga Plebiscite (1951). The forum said these rights were not relics of the past but living testaments to a people’s enduring assertion of identity, dignity, and self-determination.
According to the FNR, the NPGs with commendable self-reflection openly acknowledged the human condition marked by fallenness and finitude, and expressed contrition for past failures. They emphasised the urgent need to converge upon “one inclusive common table”, transcending factional divisions, to embark on the shared task of bridge-building. This table was envisioned not as a platform of competition, but of communion where trust was mended, differences engaged with integrity, and a common journey toward the future was launched.
The tribal hohos articulated the danger of persistent polarisation and called upon all parties to transcend divisive habits.
“This is not the time to put one another down,” was a repeated exhortation, along with “It is time to lift one another up.”
The FNR maintained that such words reminded everyone that they were not adversaries contending for dominance, but co-heirs of a sacred trust bequeathed through history, faith, and struggle, calling them to serve a story greater than themselves — the restoration of the people through truth, justice, and reconciliation.
Resisting the temptation of mere rhetoric and choosing instead the path of actionable commitment, the gathered resolved to issue a collective call for all NPGs to convene at the forthcoming meeting. The next assembly was envisioned not as a repetition of old patterns, but as a watershed moment — an opportunity for inclusive dialogue and coordinated forward movement for an inclusive solution upon one common Machan.
The gathering also appealed earnestly to all other Naga tribal hohos irrespective of region or affiliation to extend their moral and cultural support toward the fulfilment of common Naga aspirations. The appeal was made with mutual respect for each community’s distinct identity and legitimate concerns.
The meeting endorsed the initiative to undertake “A Common Journey”—a pilgrimage of presence, listening, and accompaniment to diverse districts and localities across Naga areas. The initiative sought to deepen grassroots participation, build trust among the people, and foster a shared imagination of what unity looked like in practice.
The FNR stated that together they rose not to rehearse the politics of explanation but to embody the promise of transformation. The forum stressed, “Let this be the chapter where courage becomes action, remembrance becomes renewal, and bridges become our inheritance.”