The Sangtams are one of the 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, ...
native to
Kiphire District
Kiphire District (Pron:/ˈkɪfɑɪə/) is a district in the Indian state of Nagaland. At , the district is the tenth-most populous district of Nagaland and 625th most populous district in India with 74,004 inhabitants. The district is home to ...
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.
Like many other ethnic groups in Northeast India, they practice jhum, or
shifting cultivation
Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned while post-disturbance fallow vegetation is allowed to freely grow while the cultivator moves on to another plot. The period of cul ...
. Unlike other Naga ethnic groups in Nagaland, many of the Sangtam have retained their traditional beliefs in spite of embracing Christianity at the same time. Sangtams celebrate twelve different festivals, in particular ''
Mungmung'', all of which are affiliated with their traditional culture and religion.
The Sangtam people are one of the major ethnic groups in Nagaland. Towards the Southern part of Nagaland, we have the Sangtam inhabited area under the Kiphire District. The Northern part of Sangtam includes the Longkhim-Chare sub-division of
Tuensang District
Tuensang District (Pron:/ˌtjuːənˈsæŋ/) is the largest district in Nagaland, a state in North-East India. Its headquarters is in Tuensang town.
History
Tuensang is one of the original three districts, along with Mokokchung district and K ...
. They are united under the common banner called "United Sangtam." There are 62 (sixty two) villages among the Sangtams, 24 villages under Longkhim-Chare sub-division and 38 villages under Kiphire District. There are seven government administrative towns under united Sangtam jurisdiction. During the recent years, another part of Sangtam land has been recognized namely Tsithrongse and
Mürise Village under
Chümoukedima District
Chümoukedima District is the 15th district of the Indian state of Nagaland. It was created on 18 December 2021. The district is bounded by Kohima District to the east, Peren District to the south, Tseminyü District & Niuland District to the ...
and Sangtamtilla Village under
Dimapur District
Dimapur District (Pron:/ˌdɪməˈpʊə/) is a district of Nagaland state in India. With an area of about , it is the smallest district in the state of Nagaland.
History Assam lease Dimapur to Nagaland
In 1918, Dimapur was leased to then Nag ...
.
See also
*
Chakhesang Naga
The Chakhesangs are a major Naga ethnic group found in the Indian state of Nagaland. Chakhesangs were previously known as the former Eastern Angamis, now recognized as a separate ethnic group. The Chakhesangs are divided into two groups know ...
*
Sangtam language
Sangtam, also called Thukumi, Isachanure, or Lophomi, is a Naga language spoken in northeast India. It is spoken in Kiphire District and in the Longkhim-Chare circle in Tuensang district, Nagaland, India.
Dialects
''Ethnologue
''Ethnologu ...
References
External links
Webindia profileEthnologue profile
{{Hill tribes of Northeast India
Naga people
Tuensang district
People from Kiphire district