Morung Traditions

The pride of the village, the morung is an all-male dormitory. Young boys come here at the age of 6 and leave when they get married. The sacred hunting trophys, daos, spears and shields of the village are kept here for safe keeping. It is in the morung where the boys learn the ancestral folksongs and folktales, where decisions of war and peace are taken, but it is also a refuge for the village culprits. Yet the morung is not common to all tribes. You will not find it amongst the Agamis, but it is central to all villages of the Ao, Lotha, Konyak and Phom. Some tribes also have an exclusive dormitory for girls, where they too imbibe of the tribe's cultural traditions.

Of central importance in village ceremonies are the log drums made from hollowed tree trunks with a carved mithun head, positioned close to the morung. Amongst some tribes it is regarded as a deity.

Feasts of Merit

The Feasts of Merit are important features of Naga society. The performance of a series of these feasts (genna), each more expensive than the last, determine the host's position in society. Every feast given entitles the host to progressively improve his standing. It wins him the right to wear special garments and ornaments and decorate his home in a special way.

The dragging of a huge monolith from a distance ceremony is the special privilege of those who have performed a series of feasts. Stone pulling entails the erection of a stone at the location of the feast to commemorate it. It is an occasion of great festivity.