Nagaland Trips

The following is an example of one of our trips to Nagaland - each trip is different and unique.

Each step we take in this world should be a step towards understanding ourselves and others in a new and better light.

To sit idle at home and watch documentaries about different societies is a disservice to those whom the documentaries were made about. For many documentaries plaster an image that the director created in his/her mind before leaving his or her own country, it often is not the true image of circumstances that exist. This is not to say that documentaries do not have their place - however reality is a far more enlightening vision.

Visiting a small Naga Village of Panso near the Myanmar border brought humorous images of travel and visiting other cultures and people. Many of the Naga villages are juxtaposed between modern times and ancient cultures.

Morang: Men's dormitory where young men used to spend their nights and learning skills, till they got married

As I sat in an old Morang I could not help but imagine what and old lady sitting on the porch of a thatched house was thinking. There she was having lived all her life in this village worked hard in the fields, raised a family. She had the traditional tattoos on her face and legs. What might she be thinking of us, four Germans and one Canadian wandering through her village taking pictures and wanting to see inside houses. This is when a lively image came to my mind.

What would we westerners think if the tables were turned. Suddenly for what ever reason we could not travel anymore and we stayed in our own towns and cities with all the modern conveniences we have now, but as if things stood still. We didn't really get any further ahead. And on the other side of the world these people we often want to know more about had all the money they needed to travel and decided they wanted to see how we lived. So they came in buses, jeeps, cars to our towns and cities. Took pictures of us, wanted to ask us questions, wondered how we cooked in microwave ovens and traipsed through our houses picking up things and looking at them asking what is this for? How do you use this? I wonder if all being equal we would be as welcoming and patient in our relatively private lives.

With this image in mind I come back to traveling in Nagaland. One of the Seven North East States of India.

Made up of around 14 tribes of Nagas all with there own language and customs. Therefore a common language called Nagamese is used.

Tribes and Districts of Nagaland

Angami - Ao - Sema - Lotha - Rengma Chakhesang - Sangtam - Koyak - Phom Chang - Yimchunger - Khiamniungan Zeliang - Kuki - Pochury Districts of NAGALAND Kohima Mokokchung Mon Phek Tuensang Wokha Zunheboto Dimapur

Nagaland is bordered by Myanmar, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Assam. My first impressions of Nagas would have come as a young boy growing up in Shillong. We had a Naga man named Edward (or at least that was the name he gave to us, most likely he had a Naga name) working for us, much like a big brother to myself and my two brothers. He took care of many things for us and often taking us on adventurous outings.

One of the strongest in our memories would be the day he invited us to dinner at his house, dinner arrived alive and on a leash after we had arrived at his home. I am not sure if we were too young or were not hardened by norms of society, but the idea of killing a dog in front of us did not seem to faze us at the time.

Edward had a keen sense of humor and was a very easy going and mild tempered man. Coming to Nagaland now as an adult I can see the traits in him those years back carried through as a general trend in the Naga People. They love to joke around, make practical jokes, and laugh.

However behind all that you can see the strong faces of determination in both the men and women. That intense look that could turn a joking man into a fiery warrior.

You can almost imagine them in olden times coming back from war celebrating victory with trophy heads captured in battle, for the Nagas were known to be head hunting tribe.

We were able to travel to several different districts of Nagaland – We started our trip with arrival in Dibrugarh Assam, where you fly into a small airport over lush world famous Assam tea Gardens, especially green and ready for picking in April. We headed directly to Sibsagar (Assam) and spent the first day visiting some of the old temples and places build in the time of the Ahom Kings 1700’s.

On the second day our entry into Nagaland was rocked by rough roads and rain in Assam – however once in Nagaland and on our way to our first night stop in Mon the roads were narrow and winding but not so bad.

You must be prepared for rouging in somewhat while staying in different places. Mon found us not able to get a place at the Circuit House because some medical team was in town for a workshop, we did find three rooms in a dilapidated Tourist Lodge - which gave us one nights stay with some confusion the next night when a Revival - Healer from Canada had come in for a series of meetings and Healing sessions over the Easter weekend. Like most places in India - a lot of talking and working things out found ourselves split between rooms at the Circuit house and rooms at the Tourist Lodge.

Our first visit was to Chui Village, Though close to Mon it still holds its old charm. One still can see some of the houses constructed in the Konyak tradition with palm leaves roofing and the main pillars jutting out.

The Konyaks of Chui, Mon, Shangnyu, Sheangha, Chinyu, Wakching and Japoka are the only Naga areas ruled by hereditary chiefs known as Anghs and the institution of the Anghship is only prevalent among the Konyaks. In these areas you still see the older men and the Anghs (Hereditary chiefs known as Anghs - only prevalent among the Konyaks) looking very traditional in their dress - with headgear, earrings and necklaces. Some still with the traditional tattoos on their face and body.

We also visited Shangnyu Village - here one can still find memorial stones in front of the Anghs house. History shows that good and friendly relationships existed between the Shangnyu and the Ahom Kings of Assam. Shangnyu Angh used to collect taxes form all the villages under his domain extending from Sibsagar in Assam to the Wanchos in Arunachal Pradesh. The power of the Angh is still seen to this day, and taxes are still collected from the villages. An Angh also holds certain domestic advantages, able to have as many wife's as he wants.

From Mon district we moved on to Mokokchung District then to Tuensang, Wokha and on to Kohima with highlights in each area we also found the people get more and more modern the further south we went. One of the best places to stay in Nagaland would have to be Tuophema Village - it is a Tourist village developed and maintained by the community. You will get to stay in cabins made in the traditional style from outside but with modern amenities in side.

A part from seeing some of the tourist sights one of the best experiences in travel to remote villages and places in the world is just being able to wander and see the life style of the people. The Naga's are very friendly and open people making it easy to wander through a village without a guide.

There are many guides and companies to help you in your travels in Nagaland. It is still difficult to travel alone - as most permits are given to groups of 4 and above. The following pages can help you make your plans for travel to Nagaland.