Origin of the Lotha Naga
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International Research Journal of Social Sciences___________________________________ ___ ISSN 2319–3565 Vol. 6(4), 43-48, April (2017) Int. Res. J. Social Sci. Case Study Origin of the Lotha Naga and their early settlement Mhonyani Sangma Department of Anthropology, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Gachi Bowli -500046, Hyderabad, Telangana, India [email protected] Available online at: www.isca.in, www.isca.me Received 28 th February 2017, revised 7th April 2017, accepted 13 th April 201 7 Abstract The study is an attempt to reconstruct the past history of the Lotha Naga through their folk narrative. Lotha occupy the Wokha district in the state of Nagaland. They show variance in terms of cultural practices and even in their appearance from the mainland people. So the question of how these people a re displaced in their present homeland indubitably arises. Who are these people? Where have they come from? Or to put it simply their ‘Origin’. Although there is no written documentation of their history, a part of these questions gets answered when the cu lture is looked at from the perspective of folklore which has been handed down orally. The Lotha deem that at one point of time there was written record inscribed on the skin of an animal. Unfortunately, a dog ate it and ever since it has been handed down orally. Keywords : Lotha, Nagas, Folk narrative, Oral tradition, Migration. Introduction and to approach these metaphors as expressions of a shared understanding of Lotha life. The term folklore is defined as the knowledge of a group of people which includes folk literature, folk narratives such as Methodology myths, lege nds and stories, folk arts including folk songs and dances, folk beliefs and customs, crafts and languages. One of The study was conducted among the Lotha Naga tribe belonging the traditional meanings of folklore indicates that it is an oral to the Wokha district in the state of Nagaland. Under the district tradition. The word folklore was given by William Thoms in the are a total of about ninety villages, out of which the village of year 1846. F olklore, like any other discipline enables us to Longsa in the upper range was selected for intensive rese arch. better understand ourselves and others 1, and it helps us to form The village was preferred on the basis of it being one of the and express identity in the midst of an always complex, oldest and the largest of the Lotha villages in addition to having sometimes confusing social context, in which our sense of who remnants of the old period. For intensive study, key informants we are is frequently que stioned and challenged 2. Folk narratives, were selected from influential persons who had a sound component of folklore, covers a wide range of oral traditions, kn owledge of the cultural practices of the Lotha. The interview factual and fictions, modern and traditional, belonging to literate technique was employed right through the course of fieldwork. people as well as those lacking a written form of expression. Formal and informal interview, were, carried out, which Folk narratives repre sent a form of art and they arise directly facilitated the researcher to better comprehend the shared value from the cultural bases of the communities in which they are of the com munity through the various ancestral beliefs, myths, found. stories, legends etc provided. The term narrative is derived from the root word ‘naro’ meaning Observation method, both participant and non -participant, aided ‘telling’ or ‘gna’ meaning knowledge. Knowledge when in eliminating the fallacies and helped the researcher in translated into telling be comes narratives. Knowledge can be verifying details given out by the respondents. Use of the above individual knowledge or community’s knowledge. Knowledge mentioned methods and techniques helped in getting more can be inherited or acquired in three ways. i. Sensory information thus giving a better insight and understanding of the knowledge- something which one experiences. ii. Perceptional society as a whole. knowledge-what the community perceives, and whic h exists as a belief. It need not be the truths of life or reality. iii. Conceptual The state of Nagaland knowledge- how the community conceptualize from their experience and which forms the basis of ideology. Nagaland, a land of luscious green valleys, lofty majestic mountains, gush ing river, bountiful flora, and fauna is situated Objectives of the study: Emphasizing on the specific content in the north-eastern part of India. It shares its border with of folk narrative, the study will try to understand how folk Assam in the west, Arunachal Pradesh and a section of Assam narrative serves to express Lotha values, ideas and world view towards the north, Myanmar in the eastern direction and International Science Community Association 43 International Research Journal of Social Sciences___________________________________________________ ISSN 2319–3565 Vol. 6(4), 43-48, April (2017) Int. Res. J. Social Sci. Manipur towards south. The state of Nagaland achieved Nagas, whilst in the earlier course of migration were alleged to statehood on 1 st December 1963 becoming the 16 th state India. have belonged together as an enormous tribe, and were not The state has eleven administrative districts viz. Dimapur, separated into many tribes as they are at present. All of them Kohima, Wokha, Tuensang, Mokokchung, Mon, Longleng, shared the same customs and traditions and spoke one dialect. Phek, Peren, Kiphire and Zunheboto. Kohima which is situated Although claiming to have belonged together, the stories told by 1444.12 metres above sea level is the state capital. Dimapur is the different tribes are not exact in their narration but there are the commercial hub and the largest city of the state. quite a few situations where a common consensus is drawn upon. Nagas claim to have come from Mongolia, the first place The People: The mystic, enchanting state of Nagaland, which is the Nagas trace their origin from. As the traditions have been sometimes referred as the ‘Switzerland of the East’, is inhabited handed down through the word of mouth they have very vague by a group of tribal’s known as the Nagas. The Nagas belong to memory of their displacement and the century in which they the Indo-Mongoloid stock. Nagas comprise 16 major tribes and lived in. Nevertheless the Lotha are convinced of the fact that sub-tribes, each with its own distinct dialect, customs and they had a predecessor by the name Mono while residing in traditions. They are the Angami, Ao, Lotha, Sumi, Rengma, Mongolia and thought to have dispersed from the place during Chakhesang, Chang, Khiamniungan, Sangtam, Yimchunger, his time. He was believed to be endowed with talismanic traits Phom, Pochury, Konyak, Zeliang, Kuki and Kachari. The Nagas (ozen oha ). The reason to have moved out of the place is belong to the Mongoloid race unlike the mainland Indians. All attributed by them to great population density. Voyaging the tribes in Nagaland have their own dialects. However there further, Nagas are believed to have stayed in Mansura are no written languages among the Nagas, so all the traditions, (Manchuria) in China. customs, and stories have been passed down orally through many generations. It is thought that along the course of centuries there was a great population density as a result of which the needs of the people Origin of the Lotha Naga: To obtain a comprehensive idea increased and hence there was a dire need to shift and rummage concerning the origin of the Lotha, there is a need to mention around for fertile land. The people got divided into groups and the origin of the Nagas as a whole. A separate migratory route started scattering out from their places to set up new villages. It of the Lotha alone cannot be traced, as the Nagas were supposed is believed that while they started living discretely, devoid of to have been displaced jointly and reached the present state of any external contact, there arose discrepancy in the customs and Nagaland. Similarly the Lotha assert that the Nagas have the the dialects spoken. The need for expanding the land led to same paternal ancestor, and all of them were considered recurrent conflicts and hostility between the adjoining villages brothers at one point of time. According to the oral tradition, the and other tribes men. As a result of which, the practice of head- majority of them pursued the same wave of migration and hunting is understood to have started and continued till about arrived at their present homeland together. The state of the beginning of the twentieth century among the Nagas. Nagaland which the Nagas inhabit have no massive water bodies, but the use of conch-shells, and cowries in their The practice of head-hunting by the Nagas makes them akin to ornaments, and attires they adorn substantiate the fact that they the South-east Asian countries. Head-hunting was practiced in were once upon a time a sea faring tribe, and must have lived the historic times in China, Indonesia, Phillipines, Japan, along the sea coasts. Taiwan, Melanesia, Micronesia, India, Myanmar, Borneo, New Zealand, Amazon Basin, Nigeria, Nuristan etc. Most of the Due to the unavailability of written records, it is difficult to tribes belonging to the north-eastern state of India such as the ascertain the exact date on which the Nagas reached their Mizo’s, Garo’s, Khasis, Nagas, Kukis etc were head hunters homeland. But the researches carried out showed that they must formerly. From this it can be assumed that the practice of head- have come around sometime between the 1 st and 2 nd century hunting must have been imbibed in them when they were B.C.