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 ...

is an umbrella term for several indigenous communities in

Northeast India , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

and

Upper Burma Upper Myanmar ( my, အထက်မြန်မာပြည်, also called Upper Burma) is a geographic region of Myanmar, traditionally encompassing Mandalay and its periphery (modern Mandalay, Sagaing, Magway Regions), or more broadly speak ...

. The word Naga originated as an exonym. Today, it covers a number of ethnic groups that reside in the Indian states 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 ...

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of ...

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

and

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares ...

and also in

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 Wells explai ...

. Before the arrival of the British, the term "Naga" was used in Assam 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. Nagaland became the 16th state on 1 December 1965. S. R. Tohring (2010) lists 66 Naga ethnic groups whereas Kibangwar Jamir (2016) lists 67 ethnic groups. The 1991 Census of India listed 35 Naga groups as Scheduled Tribes: 17 in Nagaland, 15 in Manipur and 3 in Arunachal Pradesh.

List of Naga ethnic groups

File:Viswe–mi women.jpeg, Angami women File:Aos 2219b.jpg, Ao woman in traditional attire File:Koniak 0382b.jpg, A Konyak chief in his traditional outfit File:Liangmai Dance.jpg, Liangmai youths performing folk dance during Road Show in Peren, Nagaland File:Oral Literature in the Digital Age - 000103.jpg, A Pochury woman on a book cover File:Nocte diorama.JPG, A diorama and

wax figures A wax sculpture is a depiction made using a waxy substance. Often these are effigies, usually of a notable individual, but there are also death masks and scenes with many figures, mostly in relief. The properties of beeswax make it an excell ...

of Nocte people in a museum File:Glory Day celebration of the Poumai Naga.jpg, Glory Day celebration of the Poumai Naga File:Tangkhul Chonchon.jpg, Tangkhul girl in a modern adaptation of the traditional dress File:Tangsa diorama.JPG, A diorama and wax figures of Tangsa people in a museum File:Wancho diorama.JPG, A diorama and wax figures of the Wancho people in a museum File:Naga female by retlaw snellac.jpg, Yimkhiung girl at the Kutur village morung File:GaanNgai 20140113 3 15.jpg, Rongmeis of Manipur during Gaan-Ngai 2014 at Keikhu, Kabui Village

Naga ethnic groups with limited recognition

Composite ethnic groups or communities

Pakan

Anāl, Maring, Lamkang, Moyon, Monsang, Chothe, Khoibu

Tangshang

A combination term, Tang from Tangnyu Vang (Wang) and Shang from Shangnyu Vang (Wang) chieftains, which were formerly known as and includes Heimi (Haimi), Pangmi, Rangpang, Tangsa, Wancho, Nocte, and Tutsa now.

Tenyimi

Angami, Chakhesang, Mao, Maram, Inpui, Pochury, Poumai, Rengma, Thangal, Zeliang. Angami: Chakhro Angami, Northern Angami,

Southern Angami Southern Angami or ''Japfüphiki'' is a geo-cultural region located in the southern part of Kohima District in the state of Nagaland in India with a portion of its territory also lying across the inter-state border in the Senapati District of M ...

, Western Angami Chakhesang: Chokri, Khezha and formerly Pochury (Southern Sangtam) combined Shepfomei or Shepoumai (Mao–Poumai): Ememei, Lepaona, Chiliivai and Paomata together Zeliangrong: Zeme, Liangmai and Rongmei together

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naga tribes Naga-related lists Tribes

Tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...