Ao, Longri (Longritangchetba) (1906-1981)
Indigenous Nagaland missionary, prophet, and peacemaker
Longri Ao was born and buried in Changki village, Mokokchurch district, Nagaland, India. He was educated through the level of the Serampore Licentiate in theology. He married Subokyimia in 1932, taught at the Bible school in Jorat, Assam, from 1934 to 1950, and in 1950 was appointed by the Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India as missionary to the Konyak Naga people. During his 17 years in that position (1950-1967) the Konyak church grew from 1,100 members to more than 12,000. From 1967 to 1980 he served as executive secretary of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council. During those years he sought to make the private and public life of the largely Christian Nagaland state a testimony to the power of Christ. He is best remembered for his contributions to the peace movement in Nagaland. He sought to convince those rebelling against the government of India to be reconciled to a position whiten that nation, and to persuade the government to act justly in its relationships with the Naga people. He was responsible for establishing the controversial Peace Mission, and later, of the Nagaland Peace Council (NPC), of which he was president from 1974 until his death. Under his leadership, the NPC was largely responsible for brining an end to the major hostilities through the Shillong Accord of 1975.
This article is reprinted from Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, Macmillan Reference USA, copyright © 1998 Gerald H. Anderson, by permission of Macmillan Reference USA, New York, NY. All rights reserved. By Frederick S. Downs.
Bibliography
O.M. Rao, Longri Ao: A Biography (1986).
Richard G. Beers, Walk the Distant Hills: The Story of Longri Ao (1969).