Naga people
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The Naga people of about two and half million are found in Nagaland, parts of Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar. Of mixed Yunnanese and Burmese origin, they speak tribal dialects belonging to the Tibeto-Burman family.
History
The Naga have traditionally practiced their Animistic religion and are known for being a warlike people with an agrarian economy. They are also known for their great friendliness, hospitality, bravery, truthfulness and sense of honour. Fundamentalist Baptist missionaries from the USA first arrived in the 19th century and have since converted the vast majority of the Nagas to Christianity. Today they are engaged in a political negotiation with the Indian Government for a sovereignty they have been demanding for six decades. With India still reluctant to accede to the demands of the Nagas, many feel slow progress in the talks is the detriment for development.
Culture
Tattooing and dormitories plays a major role in their traditional culture, although this practice is now in sharp decline. Headhunting, which was once widely practiced, has been banned since 1991.
Religion
The Naga in Manipur and Nagaland are mainly Baptist Christians as a result of British missionaries and the later American intervention, which has led to a tear in their ethnic identity ever since they shed their traditional norms. This has led to forms of Naga fundamentalism and Naga-based militant groups such as those of NSCN. The NSCN had the mission of forcibly converting the animist Naga to Christianity and the formation of a larger Nagaland.[link], and there are occasional reports of the NSCN using force to convert locals of neighbouring states to Christianity, in particular Arunachal Pradesh. [link][link]
As of today, almost all Naga in Nagaland are Christians, notably the pro-US Baptist. There are relatively few Christian Naga who combine tribal animist beliefs and rituals with Christianity, as Baptists condemn all non-Christian beliefs as cults and fundamentally contradictory to Christianity.
The majority of the Naga tribes in Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar remain loyal to their animistic faith, although militant and missionary intervention in recent years is converting them to Christianity.
Some of the Nocte are followers of an animistic form of Hinduism. Theravada Buddhism is also followed by a small number of people, notably the Tangsa.
List of Naga tribes
They are divided into 30 odd tribes, many of whom are found outside Nagaland.- Angami
- Ao
- Chakesang
- Chang
- Katcha
- Khiamnungan
- Konyak
- Liangmei
- Lotha
- Phom
- Pochuri
- Mao
- Maram
- Nocte
- Poumei
- Rengma
- Rongmei
- Sangtam
- Sema
- Tangsa
- Tangkhul
- Tutsa
- Wancho
- Yimchunger
- Zemei
- Zeliangrong
Gallery
External links
- [Current Nagas' Issues]
- [The Naga culture]
- [Website of an American Christian missionary on the Nagas]
- [Naga History]
- [Books about Naga]
- [Photos of the Naga in Myanmar]
- [History of the Naga people]
- [Interview with Ursula Graham Bower "Queen of the Naga"]
- [Kuknalim forum]
- [RSS Contribution In Solving Naga Problem]
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