The Sümi Naga also known as Sema Naga are 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, ...

in the Indian state 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 ...

. The Sümis mainly inhabit

Zünheboto District Zünheboto District (Pron:/ˌzʌnˈhiːbəʊtəʊ/) is a district in the Indian state of Nagaland. Sümi Nagas are indigenous to this district. History Zünheboto district came into existence on 19 December 1973. Geography It is bordered ...

, parts of

Niuland District Niuland District is the 14th district of the Indian state of Nagaland. It was created on December 18, 2021. The district headquarter is located in the town of Niuland. History Niuland District was created on December 18, 2021 as the 14th dist ...

and

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 ...

although many have spread and are now living in a few more districts within Nagaland. Anthropological study of the Sümis is documented in the book ''The Sema Nagas'' by J. H. Hutton, who was a Professor of Social Anthropology in the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. The Sümi is one of the recognised

scheduled tribe The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

s of India.

Religion

The ancestral religion of the Sümis was the worship of nature. With the arrival of

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

missionaries in the 20th century, like other Naga ethnic groups, today, Sümis are 99% Christians. Very few of them still practice

animism Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, Soul, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct Spirituality, spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—Animal, animals, Plant, plants, Ro ...

Distribution

Sümi Nagas mostly inhabit the central and southern regions of Nagaland. Zünheboto is the district of the Sümis and they also live in districts such as

Chümoukedima Chümoukedima (), formerly spelled Chumukedima, is a municipality in the Chümoukedima District of the Indian state of Nagaland. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Nagaland after Dimapur and Kohima. Chümoukedima was designated as th ...

Dimapur Dimapur () is the largest city in the Indian state of Nagaland. As of 2011, the municipality had a population of 122,834. The city is the main gateway and commercial centre of Nagaland. Located near the border with Assam along the banks of the ...

Kiphire {{Infobox settlement , name = Kiphire , native_name = , native_name_lang = , other_name = , nickname = , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = , im ...

Kohima Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded ...

Mokokchung Mokokchung (Pron: /ˌməʊkɒkˈtʃʌŋ/) is a municipality in the Mokokchung District of Nagaland, India. It serves as the district headquarters as well as the main urban hub of Mokokchung District. Mokokchung is the cultural nerve centre of t ...

, Niuland,

Tuensang Tuensang (Pron:/ˌtjuːənˈsæŋ/) is a town located in the north-eastern part of the Indian state of Nagaland. It is the headquarters of the Tuensang District and has a population of 36,774. The town was founded in 1947 for the purpose of admi ...

Wokha Wokha is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Nagaland. It is the headquarters of Wokha District and is located about 75 km north of the state capital Kohima. Wokha literally means ''head count'' or ''census'' in Lotha language ...

, etc. There are also seven Sümi villages in

Tinsukia District Tinsukia district () is one of the 34 administrative districts in the state of Assam, India. The district headquarters is located at Tinsukia city. The district occupies an area of 3790 km2. Towns *Digboi *Doom Dooma, Doomdooma *Jagun *Kako ...

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 ...

Festivals

The Sümis celebrate many festivals which have been carried down from generations. Most of these festivals usually mark the beginning of new seasons, harvesting of new crops or victory at war. The two major festivals that are currently popular among them are:

Tülüni

''Tülüni (July 8)'' is a festival of great significance for the Sümis. This festival is marked with feasts as the occasion occurs in the bountiful season of the year. Drinking

rice beer Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermented and distilled from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars. Microbes are the sou ...

indispensably forms as part of the feasts. Rice beer is served in a goblet made of bamboo or made from the leaf of

plantain Plantain may refer to: Plants and fruits * Cooking banana, banana cultivars in the genus ''Musa'' whose fruits are generally used in cooking ** True plantains, a group of cultivars of the genus ''Musa'' * ''Plantaginaceae'', a family of flowerin ...

. Rice Beer is an everyday diet for the Nagas and Sumi Nagas in general. However, ''Tülüni'' is not a feast to celebrate or worship Rice beer. ''Tülüni'' is also called "Anni" the word of which denotes the season of plentiful crops. This midyear festival is a time of communal harmony and merry-making for the Sümi community. Slaughtering of pigs, cows and mithun is an important feature of this festival. ''Tülüni'', is a festive season which marks season of plenty, a season to bond relationship through marriage ties, settle differences amongst friends and foes. In short, it is a season to mend broken relations and to celebrate togetherness, unity and harmony. During this festival, the betrothed exchange basketful of gifts with meals. The fiance is invited to a grand dinner at the fiancee's residence. Even siblings of the families of both the bride and groom exchange dinner and packed food and meats - wrapped the traditional way in plantain leaves. It was a time of joy even for servants and housekeepers in the olden days. On this day they were fed extra generously with good food and meat. The practice of working in groups is common for the Sümi agriculture farmers, and ''Tülüni'' is a special time for them because they get to rest and celebrate the completion of a farming season of hard work in their paddy fields. For this festival, the farmer groups (also called ''Aloji'') pool in money or other resources together to exchange/buy pigs and cows to be slaughtered for the special day. The meat is equally divided among themselves and some portion is kept aside for the group feast. In the midst of the feast, group leaders get extra offers of meat by way of feeding them by others. Each working group consists of 20 to 30 in number which includes several women, too. The new recruits are also made to join the group at this grand feast. The betrothed are settled at this period. The fervours of the feast is synchronised with a chain of folk songs and ballads. In modern times, friends and members from other tribes and communities are invited to attend the feast and are entertained with a variety of traditional songs and dances, they are also served with sumptuous authentic Sümi cuisine of smoked pork and '' axone'' with local herbs and vegetables. By virtue of two separate clans the gennas and rituals differ between ''Sümi'' and ''Tukumi''. Among all other festivals and gennas. Sumis, in general, accept the festival of ''Tülüni'' as the most grand and important one.

Ahuna

''Ahuna (14 November)'' is a traditional post-harvest festival of the Sümis. ''Ahuna'' signifies the celebration of the season's harvest in

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...

, while invoking the spirit of good fortune in the New Year. On this occasion, the entire community prepares and feasts on the first meal of rice drawn from the season's harvest cooked in bamboo segments. The receptacles for cooking or serving on this occasion are freshly made, curved or cut, from locally available resources prolific and abundant in the countryside. ''Ahuna'' is celebrated on 13 and 14 November and now holds the status of the official festival of the Sümi Nagas because it falls in a dry season and accessibility for visitors in terms of road conditions are better. ''Tülüni'' is still the most respected festival for the local Sümi.

Notable people

* Y. Hewoto Awomi, Former politician from

Dimapur-II Assembly constituency Dimapur II Assembly constituency is one of the 60 Legislative Assembly constituencies of Nagaland state in India. It is part of Dimapur district and is reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Tribes. It is also part of Nagaland Lo ...

* G. Kaito Aye, Cabinet Minister in Nagaland Legislative Assembly * K. L. Chishi, Former Chief Minister of Nagaland *

Alobo Naga Alobo Achümi (born 6 May 1984), known professionally as Alobo Naga, is an Indian singer and songwriter from Nagaland. He rose to fame with his debut album, ''Road of a Thousand Dreams''. He has hosted his talk show, ''The Alobo Naga Show,'' sinc ...

, Musician *

Hokishe Sema Hokishe Sema (6 March 1921 – 31 January 2007) was an Indian politician who served as the third Chief Minister of Nagaland and the fourth Governor of Himachal Pradesh. He was also a member of the drafting committee of Naga People's Conventio ...

(1921–2007), Former Chief Minister of Nagaland and Governor of Himachal Pradesh * H. K. Sema, Former Supreme Court Judge *

Shikiho Sema Shikiho Sema was an Indian politician. He was a Member of Parliament, representing Nagaland in the Lok Sabha the lower house of India's Parliament as a member of the Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloqui ...

(1946–1998), Former Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha *

Isak Chishi Swu Isak Chishi Swu (11 November 1929 – 28 June 2016) was the chairman of the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN). He along with Thuingaleng Muivah and S. S. Khaplang were instrumental in the creation of NSCN on 31 January 1980 after ...

(1929–2016), Chairman of

NSCN-IM The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) is a Naga nationalist separatist group operating mainly in Northeast India, with minor activities in northwest Myanmar (Burma). The main aim of the organisation is to establish a sovereign Naga ...

* Scato Swu (1924–2014), Former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from Nagaland * Kihoto Hollohon Yepthomi (1932–2021), Politician *

Tokheho Yepthomi Tokheho Yepthomi (born 1 April 1956) is an Indian politician from Nagaland. He is a former Cabinet Minister of Nagaland and currently Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha for Nagaland. Early life and personal life Tokheho Yepthomi was born and rai ...

, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha *

Jacob Zhimomi Jacob Zhimomi is a Bharatiya Janata Party politician from Nagaland. He has been consecutively elected in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly election from Ghaspani I since 2013. He is currently serving as the Minister of Public Health Engineering ...

, Minister in Nagaland Legislative Assembly * H. Khekiho Zhimomi (1946–2015), Former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha

References

Bibliography/Further reading

*Discovery Channel India. (2017). Last Man Standing. nlineAvailable at: http://www.discoverychannel.co.in/tv-shows/last-man-standing/ ccessed 27 May 2017 * Jacobs, Julian (1999), "The Nagas: Hills People of Northeast India". London: Thames and Hudson. *Jimomi, Inavi (2018), "SUMI NAGA: The Origin and Migration of the Sumi Naga", Dimapur, Heritage Publishing House, *Hutton. J. H (1921), "THE SEMA NAGAS", Great Britain, MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED ST/ MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON.

External links

Entry of Sumi Nagas as Ethnologue

The Sumi or Sema Nagas - Assam Online Portal
{{Authority control Naga people Headhunting Scheduled Tribes of Nagaland