Skip to main content

Angami Naga

By Administrator

  

The Angamis are a major Naga ethnic group native to the state of Nagaland in North-East India. They are known for the Sekrenyi celebrations every February. The Angami Nagas are settled in Kohima District and Dimapur District of Nagaland. They are also one of the recognised ethnic groups in the state of Manipur.[2]

Division[edit]

The territory of the Angamis is made up of the present Kohima district, which is divided into four regions:

Southern Angami[edit]

  • Viswema
  • Jakhama
  • Kigwema
  • Phesama
  • Kidima
  • Khuzama
  • Mima
  • Mitelephe
  • Pfuchama
  • Kezoma
  • Chakhabama
  • Kezo Town
This region is located to the south of Kohima on the foothills of Mt Japfü.

Western Angami[edit]

  • Khonoma
  • Jotsoma
  • Mezoma
  • Sechü
  • Sechü-Zubza
  • Kiruphema
  • Peducha
  • Mengoujuma
  • Thekrejüma
  • Dzülekie
The Western Angami region is located to the west of Kohima.

Northern Angami[edit]

  • Kewhira/Kohima
  • Chiechama
  • Nachama
  • Tuophema
  • Zhadima
  • Tsiemekhuma
  • Chüziema
  • Chedema
  • Meriema
  • Nerhema
  • Chiephobozou
  • Gariphema
  • Dihoma
  • Rüsoma
  • Tsiesema
  • Tsiesema basa
  • Seiyhama
  • Botsa
  • Phekerkrie
This region is located to the north of Kohima.

Chakhro Angami[edit]

Mostly small villages around Dimapur district, with large villages being Medziphema, Chumoukedima, Sovima, Rüzaphema, etc. Other villages include Piphema, Tsiepama, Vidima, Kirha, Pherima, etc.)
The former Eastern Angami have separated and are now recognised as Chakhesang.

Culture and religion[edit]

Captain Butler and assembled Nagas; seated left to right: Lt. Ridgeway, Capt. Butler, Angami Naga interpreter Sezele of Chephama, Mikir coolie. Standing left to right: Angami Naga, Inspector of Police, Angami Naga Dotsole of Chedema, Angami Naga, Rengma Naga, Commander in Chief Manipur Army, (sacred tree with skulls), ?, 2 Rengma Nagas, Dr Brown - Political Agent, Manipur
The Angami Nagas are hill people depending basically on cultivation and livestock-rearing. The Angamis are known for terraced wet-rice cultivation; because of this labor-intensive cultivation, land is the most important form of property among them. They are one of the only two groups of Nagas out of the seventeen who practice wet-rice cultivation on terraces made on the hill slopes. This allows them to cultivate the same plot year after year. They depend, to a very small extent, on slash-and-burn cultivation.
Angamis were traditionally warriors. The Angami men spent the majority of their time in warfare with hostile villages and taking heads. Since 1879, when the British succeeded in annexing their territory, the inter-village feuds have come to an end. With the introduction of Christianity in the region several Angamis changed their faith to Christianity.
Social stratification is not observed in the Angami community. Traditionally, property was divided equally among sons with daughters also receiving a share; in modern families it is shared among children. The youngest male in the family inherits the parental home, Kithoki, which means he is responsible for their care until they pass away.
The Angami Christians are composed of five major denominations: Baptist, Revival, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal and Seventh-day Adventist. Baptists constitute more than 80% of the total Angami Christian population and all the Baptist churches in their region are under the Angami Baptist Church Council.
Although more than 98% of the Angamis are Christians, they are one of the last Naga tribes having an animist population. The Angami animists practice a religion known as Pfutsana. According to the 1991 census, there were 1,760 Angami practitioners, but 10 years later the figure had halved to 884.[3] Currently there are several hundred adherents of the Pfutsana religion, scattered in nine villages of the southern Kohima district.[4] A religious organization, 'Japfuphiki Pfutsana', was founded in 1987 to streamline indigenous religious practices among the Angamis. According to the 2011 Census, 98.62% of the Angami are Christian, 0.47% are Buddhist, 0.37% Hindu, 0.24% Muslim and 0.19% Pfutsana.

Sekrenyi festival[edit]

Main article: Sekrenyi festival
The Angamis celebrate a ten-day festival called Sekrenyi[5] (sometimes also called Phousanyi) in February. The term Sekrenyi literally means sanctification festival (sekre= sanctification; nyi = feast; thenyi = festival). The festival takes places after the harvest and falls on the twenty-fifth day of the month Kezei (January–February).
The festival follows a circle of ritual and ceremony, the first being kizie. A few drops of rice water taken from the top of a type of jug called zumho are put on leaves. These are placed at the three main posts of the house by the lady of the household. On the first day, the young and old go to the village well to bathe.
In the night, two young men clean the well. Some of the village youth guard the well, as no one is allowed to fetch water after the cleaning. As women are especially not allowed to touch the well water at this time, they must make sure that water is fetched for the household before then. Early next morning, all the young men of the village attend the washing ritual. They wear two new shawls (the white Mhoushü and the black Lohe) and sprinkle water on their chests, knees, and right arms. This ceremony is called dzüseva ('touching the sleeping water'); in it, the well water symbolically washes away all their ills and misfortunes.
On their return from the well, a rooster is sacrificed. It is taken as a good omen when the right leg falls over the left leg as it falls down. The innards of the rooster are then hung outside the house for the village elders to inspect. A three-day session of singing and feasting starts on the fourth day of the festival.
The most interesting part is the thekra hie. The thekra hie is when the young people of the village sit together and sing traditional songs throughout the day. Jugs of rice beer and plates of meat are placed before the participants. On the seventh day, the young men go hunting. The most important ceremony falls on the eighth day when the bridge-pulling, or gate-pulling, is performed and inter-village visits are exchanged. All field work ceases during this season of feasting and song.

Notable people[edit]

The following is a list of prominent people belonging to the Angami tribe

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Table ST-14, Indian Census of 2001
  2. ^ "The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes): Order, 1950". Ministry of Law and Justice (India). Archived from the original on 20 September 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  3. ^ Table ST-14, Table ST-14a, Census of India 2001
  4. ^ "nscn: Japfuphiki Pfutsana annual feast". Nscn.livejournal.com. 26 March 2006. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Festival of Angami Naga". Nagaland.nic.in. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.

Further reading[edit]

  • Alban von Stockhausen: Imag(in)ing the Nagas: The Pictorial Ethnography of Hans-Eberhard Kauffmann and Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf. Arnoldsche, Stuttgart 2014, ISBN 978-3-89790-412-5.
  • Durkheim, E. and Mauss, 1963. Primitive Classification. (trans. R. Needham), London, Free Press.
  • Edsman, C.M., 1987. ‘Fire’, The Encyclopaedia of Religion, vol. 5, ed. by M. Eliade. pp. 340–46. New York, Macmillan Publishing Company.
  • Hutton, J.H., 1969. The Angami Nagas, Bombay, Oxford University Press. (first published in 1921 by Macmillan & Co. London).
  • Joshi, Vibha. A Matter of Belief: Christian Conversion and Healing in North-East India (Berghahn Books; 2012) 298 pages; a study of Christian conversion and the revival of traditional animist culture among the Angami Naga.
  • Rudhardt, J., 1987. ‘Water’, The Encyclopaedia of Religion, vol. 15, ed. by M. Eliade, pp. 350–61. New York, Macmillan Publishing Company.
  • Stirn, Aglaja & Peter van Ham. The Hidden world of the Naga: Living Traditions in Northeast India. London: Prestel.
  • Oppitz, Michael, Thomas Kaiser, Alban von Stockhausen & Marion Wettstein. 2008. Naga Identities: Changing Local Cultures in the Northeast of India. Gent: Snoeck Publishers.
  • Kunz, Richard & Vibha Joshi. 2008. Naga – A Forgotten Mountain Region Rediscovered. Basel: Merian.
  • Jonathan Glancey.2011.Nagaland- A journey to India's Forgotten Frontier :Faber and Faber .

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

The Nagas

By Administrator
Introduction The term "Naga" is used to describe groups of tribesmen of Indian and Chinese descent living in the hill country along the border of far eastern India and northwestern Burma. This article delves into the history, culture, and way of life of the Naga people, who were once known for headhunting. The name "Naga" was given to them by the Ahom people in Assam, and its origin remains uncertain. This article explores the Naga people's unique identity, their history, language, religion, traditions, and daily life. Historical Background The origin of the Nagas is still a mystery. Little is known about any group believed to be from China that migrated south of the Himalayas. It is believed that the Nagas and other Indians of Chinese descent originated in a region between the Yellow and Yangtze rivers in northwestern China and migrated to India in waves over several centuries. Their original settlements were around the Irrawaddy and Chindwin rivers in Burma. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Myth - NAGA

By Administrator
The Nagas are an indigenous group inhabiting a region with defined geographical boundaries. According to J.P. Mills, this region is described as "bounded by the Hudkawng valley in the north-east, the plains of Brahmaputra valley to the north-west, of Cachar to the south-west, and of the Chindwin to the east." Furthermore, the Manipur valley in the south marks the point of contact between the Nagas and another closely related group, the Kuki tribes, which include Thadou, Lushei, Chin, and others. In India, Nagas are primarily found in the following areas: Nagaland Four Districts in Manipur One District in Assam Two Districts in Arunachal Pradesh Additionally, many Nagas also inhabit the western parts of Myanmar (Burma), particularly in the Somrah Tract region along the border with India, which falls under Kachin state and Saging Sub-division. The Naga community is diverse, comprising numerous tribes, each with its own distinct identity and culture. In total, there are about 4...
Read more

Anal Naga

By Administrator
The Anāl tribe is a Naga community native to Manipur state in North-East India and also found in parts of Myanmar. They are recognized as a Scheduled Tribe in accordance with the Indian Constitution. The Anāl tribe is one of the sixty-six Naga tribes that make up the Naga ancestral homeland. Their population is distributed between India and Myanmar. In India, the Anāl tribe is primarily concentrated in the state of Manipur, with a significant presence in the Chandel district. There are also a few Anāl villages in neighboring districts such as Churachandpur and Thoubal. In Myanmar, the Anāls reside in the Sagaing sub-division. Historically, the Anāl people freely moved and interacted between the regions that are now part of India and Myanmar. However, with the demarcation of boundaries and subsequent restrictions on movement, these interactions have ceased. Despite being one of the oldest inhabitants of the hill areas in Manipur, the Anāl population remains relatively small. According t...
Post a Comment
Read more