Full Description
Nagas addresses the nature-embedded belief systems and subsistence strategies of the Naga people.
Knowledge systems that were once spread across the Naga communities but are now confined to specific villages and communities, are examined with respect and support for the sustainable futures of Indigenous peoples. Chapters cover various Naga crafts-ancient sciences through representative case studies featuring Naga communities who still practice the same indigenous methods. Through exploring the adherence to these practices, the volume reflects on the Naga's original worldview and is an indispensable guide to their origins. Such practices are vanishing rapidly, and this book helps preserve the knowledge for future generations.
Providing the invaluable perspectives of a scholar who has devoted his life to the study of the Nagas and an Indigenous researcher with unique experiences of growing up in Nagaland, this book is suitable for researchers in archaeology, anthropology and Indigenous Studies.
Contents
List of figures; Foreword; Preface; I The Nagas: Knowledge Practitioners vs Head-Hunters; II Indigenous Inventions and Innovations: Hunting, Traps and Snares of the Chakhesang Nagas; III Ethnoichthyology and Rain Invoking Practice of the Sumi and the Lotha Nagas; IV Living Traditions: The Salt Makers of the Naga Hills; V Megaliths: Socio-cultural Importance in the Life of the Nagas; VI Grave Goods and Memorials: A Case Study of non-Christian Pochury Nagas; VII Bridging Realms between the Living and the Living-Dead: A Case Study of the Pochury Naga; VIII Adornment, Identity and Culture Contacts; Conclusion; Glossary; Index.
