How I got my name.

I was born on June 16 1982 at 5:15 pm in my mother's house in the village. She was a teacher at our village Lower Primary Government School then. Mom and Dad both hail from Thüvopisü Village, in Phek district of Nagaland. Father was posted as a Teacher in another town, Dimapur and was on his way home for my birth. Mom had her eldest sister, Azu^ Küvethilü (my elder mom), my paternal aunt, Ana* Nokhune (who was the village's only nurse) and two young female cousins to attend to her. 

It was twilight and there was a power outage as usual. 
They lit up some kerosene lamps, the ones with wicks which burn out unless you turn them in when you blow them out. Mom's nervous cousins managed to drop the wick inside the lamps while refilling them and so I was born in the glow of the fireplace from the Kitchen.


My elder mom cut the cord and named me Vemütselü, meaning "goodness and wisdom" in our native Chokri Naga Language. 
Father arrived early next morning and found me sleeping in my mother's arms.
Dad and Mom renamed me Mütsevelü, "the wise and beautiful one" and that's the name on my birth certificate.


And so I was born. 
Daughter of my delighted parents.
The Teacher's daughter.
Kümüthapü's (Madam teacher) little girl.


Mütsevelü. Mercy Tetseo.
the wise/clever and beautiful one.


*Ana is the Chokri word for 'Aunt' while ^Azu means 'Mother'


Content copyright Tetseos ©All rights reserved. Please do not use any images/content without prior permission.