Naga people

The present day Naga people have historically been referred to by many names, like "Noga" or "Naka" by the inhabitants of the Ahom kingdom in what is now considered as Assam which means "people with pierced ears",{{cite book |last1=Grierson |title=Linguistic Survey of India Vol iii part ii |page=194}} "Hao" by Meitei people of Imphal Valley{{cite book |last1=Hodson |first1=TC |title=The Naga tribes of Manipur |date=1911 |page=9}} and "Nakas" by Burmese of what is now considered as Myanmar.{{cite book |title=Upper Chindwin District vol A |publisher=Burma Gazetteer |page=22}} However, over time "Naga" became the commonly accepted nomenclature, and was also used by the British. According to the Burma Gazetteer, the term 'Naga' is of doubtful origin and is used to describe hill tribes that occupy the country between the Chins in the south and Kachins (Singphos) in the Northeast.Burma Gazetteer, Upper chindwin vol A. page 23. published 1913

{{Main|History of the Nagas}}

File:A Side Show- Naga Tribesmen in their full War-paint.jpg

Aside from developing contacts with the Ahom kingdom. During the 19th century, the British attempted to subjugate the Naga tribes and abolish traditional Naga practices such as headhunting and intertribal violence.{{cite web |title=Nagaland – Government and society |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Nagaland/Government-and-society#ref46186 |publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica}} After India became independent from British rule in 1947, the Naga became Indian citizens, though an ongoing ethnic conflict exists in the region since 1958.

According to the Burmese chronicles Tagung Yazawin, the first Chaopha of Mongkawng Samlongpha (1150–1201 CE) with the main town in Mogaung captured Naga country in the early 1200s. In the chronicle Naga country is named as "Khang Se".{{harvcol|Gogoi|1956|p=133}}

File:Map of Toungoo Kingdom 1572.jpg

File:Mong Mao-the detail map.svg (yellow) ruler Si Kefa in 1360 CE]]

According to the History of Hsenwi state chronicle and Mengguo Zhanbi, in 1318, Si Kefa, the ruler of Mongmao appointed his brother Sanlongfa as the general and led an army of 90,000 to attack the king of Mong Wehsali

Long ( Assam). In the end, he designed a plan to make Mong Wehsali Long surrender and pay tribute every 3 years. Hkum Sam Long accepted the terms made by the ministers of Mong Wehsali Long and marched back to Mongmao.佚名 著; 龚肃政 译; 杨永生 注. 银云瑞雾的勐果占璧简史. 勐果占璧及勐卯古代诸王史. 昆明: 云南民族出版社. 1988: 1–51. ISBN 7-5367-0352-X."Hso Hkan Hpa (Sikefa) ordered an army of nine hundred' thousand,men to march against Mong Wehsali

Long (Assam) under the command

of his brother Hkun Sam Long (this is the Sam-Suns pha of Elias

and ths ministers Tao Hso Han Kai

and Tao Hso Yen. When they reach.

Wehsali Long, some cowherds

reported the arrival of the army from Kawsampi, the country of white

blossoms and larse leaves and the

ministers submitted without

resistance and promised to make

annual payment of twenty – five

ponies, seven elephants, twenty-four vi;s of gold, and- two hundred viss of silver every three years. Hkum Sam Long accepted these terms and commenced his march back. The

two other generals, Tao Hso Yen

and Tao Hso Han Kai, sent on

messengers to Hso Hkan Hpa with a story that Hkun Sall Long had obtained the easy

submission of Wehsali Long by

conspiring with the king of that

place to dethrone Hso Hkan Hpa.

The Sawbwa believed the story and

sent poisoned food to his brother,

which Hkun Sam Long ate at Mong

Kong (Mogaung)"{{harvcol|Scott|1967|p=18}}

In Yan-aung-myin Pagoda inscription found in Pinya of Myanmar mentions that the Kingdom of Ava under Minkhaung I (1400–1421) in the early 1400s extended till the territories of the Nagas."The recently discovered Yan-aung-myin pagoda inscription at ' 'Themaunggan, south of Pinya (Obverse, line 8, 762 s.), claims that in 1400 CE the rule of the king extended beyond the Kandu (Kadu) and the Ponlon amri yols ("Palaungs who grow tails"), to the "heretic kingdoms of the Naked Nagas on the borders of Khamti Khun lcyviw (?),"{{harvcol|Luce|Htway|1976|p=174}}

File:Burma in 1450.png

File:Chakhesang 1883b.jpg

File:Naga traditional shawl.jpg

File:Naga_warrior.jpg

The Naga people love colour, as is evident in the shawls designed and woven by women, and in the headgear that both sexes design. Clothing patterns are traditional to each group, and the cloths are woven by the women. They use beads in variety, profusion and complexity in their jewellery, along with a wide range of materials including glass, shell, stone, teeth or tusk, claws, horns, metal, bone, wood, seeds, hair, and fibre.Ao, Ayinla Shilu. Naga Tribal Adornment: Signatures of Status and Self (The Bead Society of Greater Washington. September 2003) {{ISBN|0-9725066-2-4}}

According to Dr. Verrier Elwin, these groups made all the goods they used, as was once common in many traditional societies:

{{blockquote|they have made their own cloth, their own hats and rain-coats; they have prepared their own medicines, their own cooking-vessels, their own substitutes for crockery.[http://nagaland.nic.in/profile/arts/arts.htm "Arts and crafts of the Nagas"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619070932/http://nagaland.nic.in/profile/arts/arts.htm |date=19 June 2009 }}, Nagaland, Retrieved 23 June 2009}}

Craftwork includes the making of baskets, weaving of cloth, wood carving, pottery, metalwork, jewellery-making and bead-work.

Weaving of colourful woolen and cotton shawls is a central activity for women of all Nagas. One of the common features of Naga shawls is that three pieces are woven separately and stitched together. Weaving is an intricate and time-consuming work and each shawl takes at least a few days to complete. Designs for shawls and wraparound garments (commonly called mekhala) are different for men and women.

File:Ancestral Naga Tribal Beads.jpg

Among many groups the design of the shawl denotes the social status of the wearer. Some of the more known shawls include Tsüngkotepsü and Rongsü of the Aos; Sütam, Ethasü, Longpensü of the Lothas; Süpong of the Sangtams, Rongkhim and Tsüngrem Khim of the Yimkhiungs; and the Angami Lohe shawls with thick embroidered animal motifs.

Naga jewellery is an equally important part of identity, with the entire community wearing similar bead jewellery, specifically the necklace.{{Cite web |last1=Koiso |first1=Manabu |last2=Endo |first2=Hitoshi |title=Necklace of ethnic groups of Naga, India: their meaning and function through time |url=https://nomadit.co.uk/conference/euraseaa15/paper/25856 |access-date=18 April 2022 |website=nomadit.co.uk |language=en}}

The Indian Chamber of Commerce has filed an application seeking registration of traditional Naga shawls made in Nagaland with the Geographical Registry of India for Geographical Indication."Naga shawls in for geographical registration", AndhraNews.net, 7 April 2008

File:Naga Smoked Pork with Axone (Fermented Soyabeans).jpg, a fermented soybean product]]

{{Main|Naga cuisine}}

Naga cuisine is characterised by smoked and fermented foods.

Folk songs and dances are essential ingredients of the traditional Naga culture. The oral tradition is kept alive through the media of folk tales and songs. Naga folk songs are both romantic and historical, with songs narrating entire stories of famous ancestors and incidents. Seasonal songs describe activities done in a particular agricultural cycle. The early Western missionaries opposed the use of folk songs by Naga Christians as they were perceived to be associated with spirit worship, war, and immorality. As a result, translated versions of Western hymns were introduced, leading to the slow disappearance of indigenous music from the Naga hills.Shikhu, Inato Yekheto. A Re-discovery and Re-building of Naga Cultural Values: An Analytical Approach with Special Reference to Maori as a Colonized and Minority Group of People in New Zealand (Daya Books, 2007), p. 210

Folk dances of the Nagas are mostly performed in groups in synchronised fashion, by both men and women, depending on the type of dance. Dances are usually performed at festivals and religious occasions. War dances are performed mostly by men and are athletic and martial in style. All dances are accompanied by songs and war cries by the dancers. Indigenous musical instruments made and used by the people are tati, bamboo mouth organs, bamboo flutes, trumpets, drums made of cattle skin and log drums.Mongro, Kajen & Ao, A Lanunungsang. Naga Cultural Attires and Musical Instruments (Concept Publishing Company, 1999), {{ISBN|81-7022-793-3}}

{{Main|Christianity in Nagaland}}

Traditionally, the Nagas practised animism, venerating natural elements such as the sun, moon, trees, and stones. They believed in a Supreme Being and various lesser spirits associated with nature, conducting rituals and sacrifices to appease these entities. This deep connection to nature was central to their worldview and daily life.{{Cite web |title=A Study of Traditional Religion of the Nagas with Special Reference to the Sümi Nagas |url=https://www.erpublications.com/uploaded_files/download/y-hukheli-zhimomi_OMXOr.pdf}}

In the mid-19th century, Christian missionaries, particularly from the American Baptist denomination, introduced Christianity to the Naga hills. The Nagas embraced the new faith, leading to a significant religious transformation. Today, Christianity is the predominant religion among the Naga people, with over 87% identifying as Christians, making Nagaland one of the three Christian-majority states in India.{{Cite web |date=4 January 2018 |title=In Christian Nagaland, indigenous religion of pre-Christian Nagas withstands test of time |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east-india/nagaland/in-christian-nagaland-indigenous-religion-of-pre-christian-nagas-withstand-test-of-time-5010777/ |access-date=20 December 2024 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Project |first=Joshua |title=Naga in India |url=https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17738/in |access-date=20 December 2024 |website=joshuaproject.net |language=en}}

While Christianity dominates, remnants of traditional beliefs persist, especially in cultural practices and festivals. Some Nagas integrate indigenous rituals with Christian practices, reflecting a syncretic approach to spirituality. Additionally, there are small minorities practising other religions (such as Buddhism),{{Cite web |last=admin |date=30 May 2014 |title=Forced Conversion to Buddhism in Eastern Nagaland |url=https://www.burmalink.org/forced-conversion-buddhism-eastern-nagaland/ |access-date=20 December 2024 |website=Burma Link |language=en-US}} but they constitute a very limited portion of the population. In Myanmar, the term "Naga" holds significance in Buddhist mythology, referring to serpent-like beings often depicted in religious art and architecture.{{Cite web |date=26 November 2022 |title=Origins Of Naga Worship In Buddhism |url=https://burmese-buddha.com/origins-of-naga-worship-in-buddhism/ |access-date=20 December 2024 |website=burmese-buddha.com |language=en-US}}

{{main|List of traditional Naga festivals}}

The various Naga groups have their own distinct festivals. To promote inter-group interaction, the Government of Nagaland has organised the annual Hornbill Festival since 2000. Another inter-ethnic festival is Lui Ngai Ni. The group-specific festivals include:{{cite web | url = http://nagaland.nic.in/potential/tourism.htm | title = Tourism: General Information | publisher = Government of Nagaland | access-date = 24 October 2011 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111030111232/http://nagaland.nic.in/potential/tourism.htm | archive-date = 30 October 2011 | df = dmy-all }}

File:Hornbill Festival.jpg

{{main|List of Naga ethnic groups}}

The word Naga originated as an exonym.{{cite book | author=Christopher Moseley | title=Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p-7ON7Rvx_AC&pg=PT572 | access-date=8 September 2013 | date=6 December 2012 | publisher=Routledge | isbn=978-1-135-79640-2 | pages=572–}} Today, it covers a number of ethnic groups that reside in Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh states of India, and also in Myanmar.

Angami 1723b.jpg|A group of Angami Nagas

Meet the Team.jpg|The attire of Chang Nagas

Sumitraditional.jpg|Sumi Naga girls in traditional dress

Before the arrival of the British, the term "Naga" was used by Assamese to refer to certain isolated ethnic groups. The British adopted this term for a number of ethnic groups in the surrounding area, based on loose linguistic and cultural associations. The number of groups classified as "Naga" grew significantly in the 20th century: as of December 2015, 89 groups are classified as Naga by the various sources. This expansion in the "Naga" identity has been due to a number of factors including the quest for upward mobility in the society of Nagaland, and the desire to establish a common purpose of resistance against dominance by other groups. In this way, the "Naga" identity has not always been fixed.{{cite book | author=Arkotong Longkumer | title=Reform, Identity and Narratives of Belonging: The Heraka Movement in Northeast India | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E6HR3bjokSUC&pg=PA6 | access-date=8 September 2013 | date=4 May 2010 | publisher=Continuum | isbn=978-0-8264-3970-3 | pages=6–7 }}

Nagas population are spread across all Northeast Indian States except Tripura and are listed as scheduled tribes in 6 Northeastern States: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland.[https://tribal.nic.in/ST/LatestListofScheduledtribes.pdf Scheduled tribes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131142900/https://tribal.nic.in/ST/LatestListofScheduledtribes.pdf |date=31 January 2022 }} (PDF)

Nagas in Myanmar are mostly found in Sagaing Division and Kachin state. The Naga territory in Myanmar is marked by Kabaw valley in the south bordering to the Chin state, the Kachin on the north and the Burmese on the east.{{Cite web|url=http://morungexpress.com/nagas-myanmar-people-forgotten-land|title=India News, Nagaland News, Breaking News ||access-date=26 October 2019|archive-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026173705/http://morungexpress.com/nagas-myanmar-people-forgotten-land|url-status=live}}

The Major Naga ethnic groups in Myanmar are:

1. Konyak (Chen)
2. Lainong (Htangan)
3. Makury
4. Nokko (Khiamniungan)
5. Para
6. Somra Tangkhul
7. Tangshang

Some other minor Naga groups are Anāl, Lamkang, Moyon, Koka (sometimes spelt as Goga or Koki), Longphuri, Paung Nyuan (Makhyam), etc.

The townships which are inhabited by the Nagas are:

1. Homalin
2. Lahe with Tanbakwe sub-township
3. Layshi with Mowailut sub-township and Somra sub-township
4. Hkamti
5. Nanyun with Pangsau and Dunghi sub-township
6. Tamu of Sagaing Division and
7. Tanai of Kachin state

Anāl and Moyon are mainly found in Tamu township on the south and a few Somra Nagas are also found in and around Tamu bordering to Layshi jurisdiction. Makury, Para and Somra tribes are mainly found in Layshi township. Makury Nagas and a few Somra Nagas are also found in Homalin township. Lahe is highly populated by Konyak, Nokko, Lainong and Makury tribes. Nanyun on the north is the home of Tangshang tribe which comprises more than 54 sub-dialect groups. Homlin township is highly populated by the considered lost tribes (Red Shans). But Kukis, Burmese, Chinese and Indians are also found there. Hkamti township is populated altogether by all the Naga tribes majority and with a number of Burmese, Shans, Chinese and Indians. Tanai in Kachin state of Myanmar is inhabited by the Tangshang Nagas among the Kachin people.

{{Main|List of Naga languages}}

The Naga languages are either classified under the Chin-Naga languages or the Sal languages.

File:Lenguas_tibeto-birmanas.png

Nagas have more language diversity than any other ethnic group or states in India. Naga people speak over 89 languages and dialects, mostly unintelligible with each other. However, there are many similarities among the languages spoken by them. The diversity of languages and traditions of the Nagas results most likely from the multiple cultural absorptions that occurred during their successive migrations. According to legend, before settling in the region, these groups moved over vast zones, and in the process, some clans were absorbed into one or more other groups. Therefore, until recent times, absorptions were a source of many interclan conflicts.Drouyer, Azevedo, Isabel, Drouyer, René, THE NAGAS -MEMORIES OF HEADHUNTERS vol.1, White Lotus, 2016, p. 7

In 1967, the Nagaland Assembly proclaimed English as the official language of Nagaland and it is the medium for education in Nagaland. Other than English, Nagamese, a creole language form of the Assamese language, is a widely spoken language. Every community has its own mother tongue but communicates with other communities in either Nagamese or English. However, English is the predominant spoken and written language in Nagaland. Hindi is also taught along with English in most schools and most Nagas prefer to use Hindi to communicate with the migrant workers of the state, that primarily comes from Bihar, UP and Madhya Pradesh. Since 2022, Hindi in Northeastern India has been taught in school until class 10.{{Cite web |author=Scroll Staff |title=Hindi will be made compulsory in northeastern states till Class 10, says Amit Shah |url=https://scroll.in/latest/1021393/hindi-should-be-accepted-as-an-alternative-to-english-says-amit-shah |access-date=18 April 2022 |website=Scroll.in |date=8 April 2022 |language=en-US |archive-date=18 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418060123/https://scroll.in/latest/1021393/hindi-should-be-accepted-as-an-alternative-to-english-says-amit-shah |url-status=live }}

File:Angami Naga girl.jpg|An Angami Naga girl in her traditional attire

File:Ao Naga lady in her traditional attire.jpg|An Ao Naga woman in her traditional attire

File:India - nagaland Ao.jpg|Ao Naga woman in her traditional ornaments

File:Lotha Naga girl.jpg|A Lotha Naga girl in her traditional attire

File:Naga Girl.jpg|An Ao Naga girl in her traditional attire

• List of Naga people
• Naga Hoho

{{reflist}}

• {{Citation|last=Scott|first=James George|year =1967|title=Hsenwi State Chronicle}}
• {{citation|last1=Luce|first1=G.H|last2= Htway|first2=Tin|contribution=A 15th Century Inscription and Library at Pagán, Burma|year=1976|title= Malalasekera Commemoration Volume. Colombo: The Malalasekera Commemoration Volume Editorial Committee|pages =203–256|publisher=Dept of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University of Ceylon}}
• {{cite book|last=Gogoi|first=Padmeswar|title=The political expansion of the Mao Shans|year=1956}}
• Drouyer, A. Isabel, Drouyer René, " THE NAGAS: MEMORIES OF HEADHUNTERS- Indo-Burmese Borderlands vol.1"; White Lotus, 2016, {{ISBN|978-2-9545112-2-1}}.
• Wettstein, Marion. 2014. Naga Textiles: Design, Technique, Meaning and Effect of a Local Craft Tradition in Northeast India. Arnoldsche, Stuttgart 2014, {{ISBN|978-3-89790-419-4}}.
• von Stockhausen, Alban. 2014. Imag(in)ing the Nagas: The Pictorial Ethnography of Hans-Eberhard Kauffmann and Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf. Arnoldsche, Stuttgart 2014, {{ISBN|978-3-89790-412-5}}.
• Shongzan, Mayaso, "A Portrait of the Tangkhul Nagas"; Exodus, 2013, {{ISBN|978-81-929139-0-2}}.
• Stirn, Aglaja & Peter van Ham. The Hidden world of the Naga: Living Traditions in Northeast India. London: Prestel.
• Oppitz, Michael, Thomas Kaiser, Alban von Stockhausen & Marion Wettstein. 2008. Naga Identities: Changing Local Cultures in the Northeast of India. Gent: Snoeck Publishers.
• Kunz, Richard & Vibha Joshi. 2008. Naga – A Forgotten Mountain Region Rediscovered. Basel: Merian.
• {{cite web |first=Waikhom Damodar |last=Singh |date=21 June 2002|url=http://www.manipuronline.com/Features/June2002/Indo-NagaCeasefire21_1.htm |title=The Indo – Naga Ceasefire Agreement |publisher=Manipur Online (originally published in The Sangai Express) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050526113938/http://www.manipuronline.com/Features/June2002/Indo-NagaCeasefire21_1.htm |archive-date=26 May 2005}}
• Shimray, Atai, A.S. – "Let freedom ring?: Story of Naga nationalism".

• Ben Doherty, Nagaland, Wild Dingo Press, Melbourne, 2018, {{ISBN|978-0-6480-6637-8}}.

{{commons category}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100617042629/http://nagaland.nic.in/ Official site of Nagaland state government]
• [http://www.ayeyarwady.com/Photo-e/naga/2001-1/index.htm Photos of Nagas in Burma by Goto Osami]
• [http://old.netphotograph.com/netphoto/print/nagaintro.zhtml?pgbid=1&gid=1 Photos of Nagas by Pablo Bartholomew]
• [http://wovensouls.org/2010/12/27/tribal-textiles-beads-of-nagaland/ Article "Textile & Bead Art of Nagaland"]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLs-UoqzLlU National Geographic Why These Headhunters Converted to Christianity]
• [http://naganationalcouncil.org/Nagaland.html Naga National Council's Official site]

{{Naga tribes}}

{{Scheduled tribes of India}}

{{Hill tribes of Northeast India}}

{{Ethnic groups in Myanmar}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naga People}}

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