Nagaland, foreword.

Nagaland is one of the smallest states in India, located in the North-East of the country. It is part of the "Seven Sisters" (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura), a group of remote Indian states away from the usual tourist circuit. These seven sisters are interdependent on each other and connected to the rest of India by a single land access, the Siliguri Corridor.

Nagaland takes its name from its inhabitants, the Nagas, made up of multiple tribes (17 officially). Very little information remains on the history of these communities, which are shared between Burma and Nagaland today. Historically, the oldest trace we have of these hunter/gatherer peoples dates back to the 13^th century. A patriarchal system governed the different kingdoms, a system which is still visible today. The different tribes were in regular conflict; and the Nagas were renowned for cutting off the heads of their enemies.

Nagas Ao, 1900

However, from the 19^th century, British colonization and the arrival of American Baptist missionaries operating from Jaipur put an end to these practices and brought profound changes to Naga society. Thus, their original animist religion was completely abandoned in favor of Christianity, and the practice of headhunting was also abolished, giving way to peace between the tribes. The Baptist Church has played an important role in intertribal peace efforts, including in the 1960s during insurgencies against the Indian government. Traveling through Nagaland, it is common to find a church in the center of every village.

First assimilated into neighboring Assam with the arrival of British colonists, Nagaland became, after several rebellions against the government of a newly independent India, an Indian state in its own right from 1963. The insurrections continued, however, the work of the last independence groups which remained active until 1975, the year when they finally decided to accept the Indian constitution and lay down their arms.

In 2004, two bombs exploded in Dimapur, killing around thirty people. Several acts of rebellion were then noted, causing the death of several civilians per year until 2013. In 2021, the Indian army murdered 6 farmers from Mon district. Riots followed which caused the deaths of 8 other civilians and a soldier. These events contributed to fueling the small state’s reputation for insecurity, notably hindering the development of tourism.

The official language since 1967 has been English, however the most common language remains Nagamese, a language derived from Assamese; and there are still several dozen other languages ​​spoken in the territory.

Traditional dwelling of Nagaland

Despite mass conversion to Christianity, Nagaland has retained its ancient tribal traditions. Numerous festivals of each ethnic group dot the calendar, modeled on agricultural practices, the economy of Nagaland being mainly based on agriculture. Furthermore, an inter-ethnic festival, The Hornbill festival, was established by the Nagaland government in 2000 to celebrate the diversity of Naga culture. It brings together all the tribes of the region, and allows the culture and traditions of each to be highlighted. The festival is named after a bird, the hornbill, which happens to be the emblem of Nagaland. Thus, for a week in December, different crafts are highlighted such as painting, wood carving, textiles, but also sports, food, games, music...

In order to explore the origins of the famous Naga beds, we set out to discover Nagaland, with a first stay in 2023. Visit this blog to discover the story of our trip.