Khiamniungan Nagas

The Khiamniungan Nagas are a fascinating tribe with a rich cultural heritage that deserves to be documented and preserved for future generations. Thanks to the efforts of the INTACH Nagaland chapter, a detailed report has been submitted to the IGH division, highlighting their ancestral traditions and present-day culture. The report delves deep into the tribe’s everyday activities, customs, marriage systems, birth rites, folklore, decorations, performing arts, religion, tattoo traditions, crafts, textiles, and much more. As one of Nagaland’s sixteen tribes, the Khiamniungan Naga live in the sub-divisional headquarters of Noklak in the Tuensang district. 

Despite their fascinating history, the Khiamniungan Nagas have been largely ignored in written records due to the absence of a written script. The only source of information on their history is from myths and oral legends. The British referred to them as “Kalyu Kenyu,” and they share a history with their Myanmar counterparts, with continued cross-border trade. 

Before the advent of Christianity, the Khiamniungan Nagas were followers of animism and worshipped inanimate objects and the environment. The belief that all things have a spirit or soul that can offer help or harm to humans was central to the animist dogma. There is no customary practice for imparting justice, and each village holds a system of laws and practices that differ from the others. 

The Khiamniungan Nagas have a strict code and forbidden taboo against intermarrying within the same clan and its subsequent sub-clans originating from the same major clan lineage. They are well-known for their basketry practices, with the menfolk being skilled and expert basket weavers, weaving traditional outfits, and constructing walls and floors made of bamboo and wood.