{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 121,
  "chapterName": "1872. Beginnings of Permanent Christian Work among the Nagas",
  "pageFrom": 213,
  "pageTo": 213,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 213,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n213\n121. BEGINNINGS OF PERMANENT CHRISTIAN WORK\nAMONG THE NAGAS (1872 A.D.)\nGodhula, an Assamese evangelist, was the first to undertake a\nsuccessful Christian work among the Nagas. After an exploratory\njourney into the hills occupied by the Ao Nagas in the winter of 1871,\nhe spent the winter months in the village of Dekha Haimong (Molung-\nkimong) during the succeeding years. There he gathered the first Naga\nChristian congregation. In a letter dated October 31, 1872, Edward\nClark, who was to become the pioneer foreign missionary among the\nNagas, describes the new Naga work. Cited in the Baptist Missionary\nMagazine, vol. LIII (1873), pp. 51-53.\nBut what shall be done about this Naga work? I had much\nfear that I should be troubled to keep Goodhula and his wife on the\nhills during the rains. But not so. I presume he would have\nbeen down by this date, but he could not persuade the Nagas to\ndelay longer in building him a good house. So he remains to see\nabout that\nThe Deka Harmong hill, where Goodhula and his wife have\nlived in good health during the last rainy season, is a low hill,\n2,600 or 2,700 feet high, but has no high hills close by.\nBut other Nagas, talking the same language as the Deka\nHarmong, are on hills 4,000 or 5,000 feet high; villages large and\npowerful. But these villages, if accessible at all by missions now,\nmust be reached by their own paths, which are by the Detoi\nRiver\nLet me give you a pretty literal translation of one of the last\nletters from Goodhula. In these days, the Naga people are some-\nwhat anxious about religion. Those calling themselves Christians\ndo so understandingly; thus many people desire to meet me. At\nthe present time there are 25 or 26 persons worshipping with me.\nThe Naga people say that their forefathers, in worshipping evil\nspirits, found only the way to hell. We passed all our life-time in\nfear. That there is death we know; besides this, that after death\nour spirits went below the earth in company with ghosts, this we\nlearned from the mouth of our forefathers and so knew. That\nthere is a heaven we knew, but that man could go to heaven, this\nwe never heard. But against the teachings of our forefathers a new\ndoctrine has appeared; how true! how sweet! When we hear\nthis new story, water appears from the eye. Much sweeter than\nall arrack, and than all pig meat do we find this narrative. To\ncontinually hear this, our minds strongly desire. Goodhula's is\nour happy house. In his house we find rest from all anxiety and\nmisery. How strange !",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}