Quick Facts
Biography
Reivilie Angami (1923–1998) was an insurgent who served in the British Indian Army from 1943 to 1948 and went on to join the Naga National Council in 1949, rising to the position of Brigadier within the insurgency.
Early life
Reivilie Angami was born in 1923 in Jotsoma Village, Kohima District, Nagaland. He joined the Assam Regiment of the British Indian Army on 23 July 1943 and trained as a soldier in Happy Valley, Assam.
Service in the British Army
During World War II he fought with the Allied Forces in the Naga Hills, Manipur and Burma, where he earned the Burma Star for his services from 1939 to 1946 and the Indian Independence Medal for his services in 1947. He was also awarded the Gallantry Certificate and released from service in October 1948.
Nagaland Insurgency
After returning from his service in the Assam Regiment, he joined the Naga National Council in 1949 and his enthusiasm for Naga Struggle intensified after the martyrdom of his uncle Zasibituo Nagi, the first Naga Martyr at Kohima on October 18, 1952. He formed the Naga Home Guard and the Naga Army along with Comrade Dotsolie Vihienuo and served the Naga insurgency in various capacities. In 1976, he led his former Naga Army comrades to Chumukedima and established a new village, Vidima, in Dimapur and continued his Service towards the Naga Struggle. He died on February 18, 1998.