Angami
Encyclopedia
The Angamis are one of the major Naga
tribes of Nagaland
, India
. They are known for the Sekrenyi celebrations that take place every February.
, which is divided into four regions:
The former Eastern Angami have separated and are now recognised as Chakhesang
.
; because of this labor-intensive cultivation, land is the most important form of property among the Angamis. Angamis 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 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. Among the Angamis, the youngest male in the family inherits the parental home, Kithoki, which also means he is responsible for their care until they pass away.
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 and are put on leaves. These are then placed at the three main posts of the house by the lady of the household. On the first day, all 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 the next morning, all the young men of the village attend the washing ritual. The young men 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 of the Sekrenyi Festival is the thekra hie. The thekra hie is a part of the festival 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.
Naga people
The term Naga people refers to a conglomeration of several tribes inhabiting the North Eastern part of India and north-western Burma. The tribes have similar cultures and traditions, and form the majority ethnic group in the Indian state of Nagaland...
tribes of Nagaland
Nagaland
Nagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They are known for the Sekrenyi celebrations that take place every February.
Division
The territory of the Angami's is made up of the present Kohima districtKohima district
Kohima district is a district of Nagaland state in India. It is the home of the Angami Naga tribe. As of 2011 it is the second most populous district of Nagaland , after Dimapur.-History:...
, which is divided into four regions:
- Southern Angami (Japfüphiki- Viswema, Khuzama, Kidima, Kigwema, Jakhama, Phesama, Mima, Mitelephe, Pfuchama, Kezoma, Chazuba, Chakhaba, Kezo Town) in the south of Kohima on the foothills of Mt Japfü.
- Western Angami (Jotsoma, Khonoma, Mezoma, Sechuma, Secü-zubza, Kiruphema, Peducha, Mengoujuma, Thekrejü, Dzülake) in the West of Kohima.
- Northern Angami (Kewhima, Chedema, Meriema, Chiechama, Nerhema, Chiephobozou, Tuophema, Gariphema, Dihoma, Rusoma, etc.) in the north of Kohima.
- Chakhro Angami (mostly small villages around Dimapur district, with large villages being Medziphema, Chumukedima, Sovima, Razaphe, etc.; other villages include Piphema, Tsiepama, Kirha, Pherima, etc.)
The former Eastern Angami have separated and are now recognised as Chakhesang
Chakhesang
Chakhesang is a Naga tribe found in Nagaland, India.The word Chakhesang comprises three tribes: cha - Chakri, Khe - Khezha, Sang - Sangtam.Chakhesangs are the former Eastern [Angami], who have separated from the Angami Naga tribe, and are now recognized as a separate tribe. It is a major tribe in...
.
Culture and Religion
The Angami Nagas are hill people depending basically on cultivation and livestock-rearing. The Angamis are known for terraced wet-rice cultivationTerrace (agriculture)
Terraces are used in farming to cultivate sloped land. Graduated terrace steps are commonly used to farm on hilly or mountainous terrain. Terraced fields decrease erosion and surface runoff, and are effective for growing crops requiring much water, such as rice...
; because of this labor-intensive cultivation, land is the most important form of property among the Angamis. Angamis are one of the only two groups of Nagas
Naga people
The term Naga people refers to a conglomeration of several tribes inhabiting the North Eastern part of India and north-western Burma. The tribes have similar cultures and traditions, and form the majority ethnic group in the Indian state of Nagaland...
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 majority of their time in warfare with hostile villages and taking heads. Since 1879, when the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
succeeded in annexing their territory, the inter-village feuds have come to an end. With the introduction of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in the region several Angamis changed their faith to Christianity.
Social stratification
Social stratification
In sociology the social stratification is a concept of class, involving the "classification of persons into groups based on shared socio-economic conditions ... a relational set of inequalities with economic, social, political and ideological dimensions."...
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. Among the Angamis, the youngest male in the family inherits the parental home, Kithoki, which also means he is responsible for their care until they pass away.
Sekrenyi
The Angamis celebrate a ten-day festival called Sekrenyi (sometimes also called Phousanyi) in the month of 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 Angami 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 and are put on leaves. These are then placed at the three main posts of the house by the lady of the household. On the first day, all 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 the next morning, all the young men of the village attend the washing ritual. The young men 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
Innards
Innards is a term used broadly to refer to the 'insides' of something, but may also refer to:*Offal*Viscera*Gastrointestinal tract*Innards: The Metaphysical Highway, a short film by the Chiodo Brothers...
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 of the Sekrenyi Festival is the thekra hie. The thekra hie is a part of the festival 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.
See also
- Angami Baptist Church Council
- Tati (musical instrument of the Angami Nagas)Tati (musical instrument)Tati is a single stringed Naga traditional musical instrument invented and used by the Naga people since time immemorial. It is popularly used by the Angami Nagas and Chakesang Nagas to sing traditional folk....
- A. Z. Phizo
- Neiphiu RioNeiphiu RioNeiphiu Rio is an Indian politician who is currently the Chief Minister of the state of Nagaland. He was Chief Minister from March 6, 2003 to January 3, 2008, and has been Chief Minister again since March 12, 2008....
- Rev. Dr. Neiliezhü ÜsouNeiliezhü ÜsouRev. Dr. Neiliezhü Üsou was an influential Baptist preacher, theologian, Church musician, Music teacher and composer from the North-Eastern state of India, Nagaland. He belonged to the Angami Naga tribe and hailed from Nerhema Village in Kohima district, Nagaland, India...
- Dr. Shürhozelie LiizietsuShürhozelie LiezietsuDr. Shürhozelie is a politician from Nagaland, India. He is the president of the Nagaland People's Front. In 2003 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland, as the Nagaland People's Front candidate in the constituency Northern Angami-I...
- KohimaKohimaKohima is the hilly capital of India's north eastern border state of Nagaland which shares its borders with Burma. It lies in Kohima District and is also one of the three Nagaland towns with Municipal council status along with Dimapur and Mokokchung....
- NagalandNagalandNagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur...
Further reading
- 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).
- 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.