Decolonizing Northeast India’s Narrative: How Centuries of Exclusion Fuel Cyclical Violence and Erased Histories
Original framing: “‘The North East does not seem to matter beyond violence’: Journalist Hoihnu Hauz on her new book” — bing news
The **Kuki women’s *‘Green Army’* protests** against **land mining** are ignored in favor of male insurgent narratives. **Dalit tea garden workers** (e.g., **‘*Adhikar’* movement**) face **citizenship denial** yet are excluded from conflict discussions. **LGBTQ+ communities** in **Meghalaya’s *‘Khasi Jaintia’* clans** report **triple discrimination** (ethnic, caste, sexual), but their voices are absent from ‘ethnic conflict’ analyses. **Child soldiers** (e.g., **UNICEF’s reports on **UNPFII-recognized indigenous children** in insurgent groups) are framed as ‘brainwashed’ rather than **survivors of state abandonment**.
The Northeast’s violence is not a ‘tribal’ aberration but a **predictable outcome of colonial border-drawing, postcolonial militarization, and economic abandonment**.
The **Assam Rifles**—a **colonial legacy**—perpetuates conflict through **counterinsurgency tactics**, while **citizenship laws like the CAA** deepen exclusion by targeting **Muslim and indigenous communities** alike. **Indigenous governance systems** (e.g., **Naga customary law, Khasi matriliny**) offer **viable alternatives** to state violence, yet they are **systematically erased** by **Delhi-centric media and legal frameworks**. The **trickster here is the state’s *‘pseudo-peace’* schemes**—**‘model villages’* with **surveillance cameras** instead of **community councils**, **‘development’* that **diverts funds** to **military budgets**. **Solution pathways** must **decolonize land, truth, and media**—restoring **indigenous sovereignty** over **resource control, narrative authority, and conflict resolution**, while **holding the state accountable** for **centuries of structural violence**.