The Emergence of Naga Elites in Nagaland

Nagaland is composed of 16 Naga tribes, each having its own distinct language, cultures, customs and traditions. Thought the state is comparatively small in size yet because of its diversity in many respect, understanding Naga society becomes quite complicated and confusing for many. It is vital to understand the various social structures of these tribes’ institutions and their intercourses both at inter-tribal level as well as at intra-tribal level. The Naga society evolved as a result of these institutions in order to filter and accommodate the various interest and aspirations of these tribal institutions to a higher level. These institutions are controlled by elites of the tribes at every stages of social maneuvering.
This work is an attempt to trace and identify the Naga Elites before and after the creation of Nagaland state. So far, no literature has found on Nagas elites, thereby through observation of various social institutions and personal interviews to these leaders at different levels cutting across communities, the data are collected and analyzed. Five types of Naga elites were traced before the coming of Christianity and eight types of Naga elites were identified particularly in post statehood era. The work will immensely enrich knowledge on the Naga elites. This work is confined to the Nagas of Nagaland.