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Nagaland

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State · Capital: Kohima

Key facts
TypeState
CapitalKohima
Formed1 December 1963
Official languagesEnglish
Population (Census 2011)19,78,502
Andaman and Nicobar IslandsAndhra PradeshArunachal PradeshAssamBiharChandigarhChhattisgarhDadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and DiuDelhiGoaGujaratHaryanaHimachal PradeshJammu and KashmirJharkhandKarnatakaKeralaLadakhLakshadweepMadhya PradeshMaharashtraManipurMeghalayaMizoramNagalandOdishaPuducherryPunjabRajasthanSikkimTamil NaduTelanganaTripuraUttar PradeshUttarakhandWest Bengal

Known for

  • Hornbill Festival, the ‘festival of festivals’, held every December
  • Many Naga tribes, each with its own festivals, dress and dialects
  • Naga king chilli (Naga Mircha), among the hottest chillies in the world
  • Kohima War Cemetery and the Battle of Kohima (1944)
  • Dzükou Valley and its seasonal lilies
  • Handwoven shawls, beadwork and wood carving
  • Smoked pork, bamboo shoot and fermented soybean (axone) cooking

Main sources of income

Most rural families depend on farming, while a large share of the State’s income comes from services and government.

  • Services and government: Public administration, education, health, trade and transport; the government is the largest employer
  • Agriculture and allied activities: Rice grown on jhum (shifting) fields and on terraces, maize, millets, pulses, ginger, chillies, large cardamom, fruits and vegetables; pigs and poultry in most households
  • Forestry and bamboo: Bamboo, timber and forest produce used for building, crafts and food
  • Handloom and handicrafts: Shawls and cloth woven on loin looms, beadwork, cane and bamboo work and wood carving
  • Tourism: Festival, heritage, trekking and village tourism, led by the Hornbill Festival

Top 5 specialities

  1. Naga Mircha (king chilli): GI-tagged, extremely hot chilli grown by farmers across the State and sold fresh, dried and as pickles
  2. Naga tree tomato: GI-tagged tangy fruit (tamarillo) grown in the hills and used in chutneys and sold in local markets
  3. Chakhesang shawls: GI-tagged handwoven shawls of the Chakhesang Naga community, woven and sold by village women
  4. Bamboo and cane products: Baskets, mats, furniture and bamboo shoot, a source of income for many villages
  5. Naga beadwork and wood carving: Necklaces, ornaments and carved panels made by local artisans and sold at fairs and the Hornbill Festival

Best practices

  • Communitisation of public services: Under the Nagaland Communitisation of Public Institutions and Services Act, 2002, village committees were given charge of government schools, health centres and electricity in their villages, making the community responsible for how well they run.
  • Khonoma’s community conservation: In 1998 the Angami village of Khonoma set aside part of its forest as the Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary and banned hunting, an example of a village protecting its own forests and wildlife.
  • Protecting the Amur falcon: After large-scale hunting of migrating Amur falcons came to light in 2012, villagers around Pangti and the Doyang reservoir in Wokha district pledged to protect the birds, and the area is now known for their safe autumn roosting.

Dance & performing arts

  • War dances of the Naga tribes

Festivals

  • Hornbill Festival (1–10 December)
  • Sekrenyi
  • Moatsu
  • Tuluni

Food

  • Smoked pork with bamboo shoot
  • Axone
  • Naga king chilli (GI)

Crafts & heritage

  • Naga shawls
  • Wood carving
  • Bead work

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Traditional recipes (17)

  • Smoked pork with bamboo shoot

    Smoked pork cooked with sour fermented bamboo shoot and king chilli, the best-known dish of Nagaland.

  • Pork with axone

    Pork cooked with axone (fermented soybean), whose strong smell and deep taste mark Naga cooking.

  • Pork with anishi

    An Ao Naga dish of pork cooked with anishi, cakes of fermented and smoked colocasia leaves.

  • Galho

    A soft, warming rice porridge cooked with vegetables, greens and smoked meat, a Naga comfort food.

  • Chicken with bamboo shoot

    Country chicken cooked with fresh or fermented bamboo shoot, ginger and chilli in a light broth.

  • Fish cooked in bamboo

    River fish packed with ginger, chilli and herbs into a green bamboo tube and cooked in the embers.

  • Dry fish chutney

    Roasted dried fish pounded with king chilli, tomato and garlic into a fiery chutney.

  • Pork with black sesame

    Pork cooked in a dark, nutty sauce of ground roasted black sesame, ginger and chilli.

  • Boiled pork with mustard leaves

    A simple Naga stew of pork, mustard greens, ginger and chilli, light and full of flavour.

  • Hinkejvu

    A Sumi Naga dish of colocasia, cabbage, beans and mustard leaves boiled together in a light, wholesome broth.

  • Raja mircha chutney

    A very hot chutney of roasted Naga king chilli and tomato, served in small amounts with every meal.

  • Axone chutney

    Fermented soybean roasted and pounded with chilli and tomato into a pungent, savoury chutney.

See all 17

Traditional dances (4)

  • Naga war dance

    A powerful dance of warriors in full traditional dress, with spears, shields and war cries, performed by many Naga tribes.

  • Chang Lo (Sua Lua)

    A dance of the Chang Naga people of Tuensang, once performed to celebrate victory over enemies and now at the Poanglem festival.

  • Zeliang folk dances

    Graceful group dances of the Zeliang Naga people of Peren district, known for their quick, light steps and harmony.

  • Moatsü dances of the Ao

    Songs and dances of the Ao Naga people during Moatsü, the festival held in early May after the sowing season.

Festivals and New Years (1)

  • Hornbill Festival

    The "festival of festivals" of Nagaland, held every year from 1 to 10 December at Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima, bringing together all the Naga tribes.

Famous places (6)

  • Kohima War Cemetery

    A memorial on Garrison Hill to the soldiers who died in the Battle of Kohima in 1944 during the Second World War.

  • Kisama Heritage Village

    Home of the Hornbill Festival, with model morungs (traditional houses) of the different Naga tribes.

  • Dzükou Valley

    A high, grassy valley of rolling hills and streams on the Nagaland–Manipur border, popular with trekkers.

  • Khonoma village

    An old Angami village of terraced rice fields and stone gateways, known for protecting its forests and wildlife.

  • Ntangki National Park

    Nagaland’s national park, a tropical forest home to hoolock gibbons, hornbills and other wildlife.

  • Longwa village

    A Konyak Naga village where the international border with Myanmar passes right through the chief’s house.

Sources

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