Indigenous Culture - Coursework Example

Indigenous Culture The Naga people Introduction The Naga people are a perfect example of indigenous people with an indigenous culture. Culture is an integral aspect of life that influences fundamental features including arts, social structures, attire, dietary and religion among others. The Naga people have a distinctively structured society that follows a set of values thereby proving the uniqueness of their culture. The Naga people inhabit North Western Burma and North East India. The people speak a number of languages including Lotha, Sumi, Ao, Pochuri, and Mao among several others.

The languages help distinguish them into sub tribes a feature that continues to influence interaction within the indigenous culture. Kunz & Vibha (2008) explain that the Naga people were traditionally hunters and gathers. They lived on hilltops and therefore enjoyed a vantage position, which they in turn used to raid other communities in the plains. They carried out systematic raids for cattle and food. With time, they began farming and rearing livestock. This way, farming became their main pattern of subsistence.

The various tribes of the Naga people have egalitarian societies. They live in villages that are closely-knit units (Stirn & Peter, 2008). The units comprise of clans and families that intermarry thereby strengthening their villages. Families in the Naga culture were monogamous with society considering fidelity to spouses a major virtue. The culture does not permit people to marry from their own clans. The culture considers such unions as incest and therefore encourages inter-clan marriages.

The Naga culture is a preliterate culture owing to the lack of writing abilities of the populace. The Naga people had unique religious beliefs that included the worship of ancestors and a supernatural being. They believed that their ancestors protected them and therefore invested in appeasing the spirits of the ancestors. They offered animal and crop sacrifices with some people dropping portions to the ground before they eat with the view to appeasing the spirits. As explained earlier, the Naga people have a warrior tradition with the society’s youth joining a class of warriors who traditionally raided neighboring societies.

The societies are patriarchal and the family is the basic social unit. Respect for fathers among other male elders in the society is paramount with women having distinctive roles. The culture expects women to show both obedience and humility to their men. The culture had a unique attire with the man’s clothing remaining distinctive. Men’s clothing comprised of a conical red headgear decorated with the canine teeth of a wild bear and the white and black feathers of a hornbill (Johnson, 2013).

Outside forces have continued to influence the development of the Naga culture. For a long time, the Naga people resisted any form of outside interference until the Christian missionaries entered their societies in the late 1800s. The Christian missionaries succeeded in converting most of the Naga people to Christianity. The Naga people appreciated the western education and more than 90% of the people are currently Baptist Christians. Additionally, they have adopted peaceful and integrated existence with other cultures in the society.

I believe the future of the Naga culture will be characterized with intense interaction with outsiders possibly derailing some of their cultural values. While the people struggle to maintain their identity, intensifying interactions with outsiders coupled with globalization, as India opens up for trade, threatens the future of the unity of the Naga communities. ReferencesJohnson, K. (2013). All the Trappings of Victorious Headhunters Naga Peoples Made Beauty From the Ugly in Northeastern India.

The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/28/arts/design/naga-peoples-made-beauty-from-the ugly-in-northeastern-india.html?_r=0Kunz, R. & Vibha J. (2008). Naga – A Forgotten Mountain Region Rediscovered. Basel: Merian.Stirn, A. & Peter, v. H. (2008). The Hidden world of the Naga: Living Traditions in Northeast India. London: Prestel.