Maps and Minds

Maps have divided transnational ethnic groups Nagas, Zos, Bhutias, Bengalis and Nepalis, among others, but the Naga or the Zo mind does not accept the boundaries on government maps

- Snigdhendu Bhattacharya

TONYEI Phawang and his family eat in Myanmar and sleep in India. Daily. Their dining room lies in Myanmar, bedroom in India, and the kitchen, should there be a physical border between the nations, would have the boundary running through it.

The 1,643-km India-Myanmar border still exists largely on maps. Except for a 10-km stretch recently fenced, the rest remains open, demarcated by small concrete pillars at some points. The border passes through Longwa, a hilltop village that has become a tourist attraction due to its uniqueness. The border cuts the village and about 150 of its 700-odd houses, including Phawang's, into two. The western part lies in Mon district or Nagaland and the eastern part in the Naga Self-Administered Zone in the Sagaing region of Myanmar. Apart from a pillar demarcating national boundaries, there is no physical divide.

No border exists in the people's minds either. The Longwa Tourist Guest House that local youth Mansheih Wangnao runs has some rooms in India, some others in Myanmar. Their Baptist church falls mostly in Myanmar. Even the Mon-Longwa road zigzags through the border, moving in and out of Myanmar. Their farmlands lie across both countries. The school has teachers and students from both countries. Phawang, the Angh or chief of the Konyak tribe of the Naga ethnic group, is the 10th generation hereditary chief of Longwa. He wields his authority on both sides of the border. In fact, his customary authority applies in 31 Konyak villages in Myanmar and only five Konyak villages in India.