Khiamniungan is a major

Naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions * Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata'' * Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

, with approximately 35% of the population found in Noklak District of

Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...

, India and the rest in Naga Self Administered Zone and Hkhamti district of

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

. They were also called Kalyo-Kengnyu ("slate-house dwellers") during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

History

The origin of the Khiamniungans remains uncertain. There are no written records of their history before the

days. However, the only source of information about their ancestors are oral traditions in the form of folktales and myths. According to a popular myth, Khiamniungan means "source of great waters" - the place from where the early ancestors of Khiamniungan are said to have originated. This place is identified near Lengnyu-Tsuwao villages, under Pathso Range, over looking from the present day

Noklak Noklak is the headquarters of Noklak district. The district was officially inaugurated by Nagaland's Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio on January 20, 2021, and is located in the easternmost part of India. Noklak district is the headquarter of Khiamn ...

and

Pathso Patsho, or Pathso, is a village in Noklak District, located in the eastern part of Nagaland, and one of the biggest villages in Noklak District. It is situated at an altitude of 1415m above sea level. The village is 37km away from Noklak Distric ...

towns. Today, the Khiamniungans occupy the easternmost part of India and northwestern part of Myanmar. In India, they are mostly found in

district of Nagaland state and the rest in Naga Self Administered Zone and Hkhamti district of Saigaing Division, Myanmar. The mighty Chindwin river flows through the land of Khiamniungans.They are linked linguistically as well as culturally to the Tibeto-Burman. During the British Raj, the Khiamniungans were referred to as "kalyo Kenyu", particularly in the works of anthropologists such as Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf. Unlike several other Naga tribes, the advent of Christianity had little impact on the Khiamniungan for a long time, due to their remote location. The first Khiamniungan to convert to Christianity was Khaming, in 1947. Thereafter, a number of Khiamniungans converted to Christianity. After the coming of the new education system, social system, modernization and Christianity, there have been drastic changes in their social life.

Tribal society

The traditional Khiamniungan village had eight important people: # Nokpao or Nyokpao (war leader) # Puthsee or petchi (peace maker, elder) # Ampao, Meyo, meya (priest) # Kieo lomei (doctor) # Ain (priestess and

oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...

) # Shoalang or sonlan (blacksmith) # Paothieo or paothai (story teller) # Ainloom (the keeper of the a supposedly magical stone; the stone is said to warn of any impending disaster such as a fire or a raid, by moving out of its basket or by creating a sound through striking another object) By the early 1990s, only the Puthsee, the Shoalang and the Ainloom remained relevant, others being remembered mainly as part of books and oral tradition.

Culture

The traditional Khiamniungan attires consist of bright red and bright deep blue colored dresses. The ornaments are made of

cowrie Cowrie or cowry () is the common name for a group of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. The term ''porcelain'' derives from the old Italian term for the cowrie shell (''porcellana'') d ...

s and conch shells. The tribal musical instruments include drums made of gourds and

bamboo flute The bamboo flute, especially the bone flute, is one of the oldest musical instruments known. Examples of Paleolithic bone flutes have survived for more than 40,000 years, to be discovered by archaeologists. While the oldest flutes currently kno ...

Festivals

Miu

The Khiamniungan tribals, who traditionally practised jhum cultivation (slash and burn agriculture), celebrate the ''Miu'' festival at the time of sowing. They offer prayers for a good harvest.

Tsoküm

''Tsoküm'' is the week-long

harvest festival A harvest festival is an annual celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different places. ...

of the tribe, celebrated in October. The festival includes dancing, singing, cleaning, repair of the roads, and outdoor cooking and eating. In this festival the people invoke god's blessing for a bountiful harvest.

References

{{Authority control Naga people