World Largest Collections of Himalayan Tribes: NAGA
Northeast India is a distinctive region, encompassing the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim to the north, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura to the south, Nagaland to the east, and Assam and Meghalaya to the west. It stands out not only geopolitically but also in terms of its rich ecological diversity, culture, and history. Mizoram and Tripura, in particular, lie within the tropical zone around 23° N.
Geographically, the northeastern landscape varies from uplands and high-altitude mountains in the north, northeast, east, and southeast to tablelands and low-lying floodplains in the southwest and west. Early archaeological efforts in this region began during the colonial administration, but these initial reports primarily focused on surface sites. It was only after India gained independence that excavations and more extensive archaeological research began, addressing various important issues for the area.
These research endeavors have sought to identify possible routes of hominin dispersal, explore the Paleolithic history and the insights derived from archaeological and geological data, investigate the potential for early plant domestication, and examine evidence related to early agriculture, including rice, millet, and tuber crops. Despite significant potential for historical archaeology, comprehensive research on the rise of early urban centers, early state formations, the emergence of village settlements with ancestral sites, and later historical periods has been somewhat limited in scope.