This website is dedicated to the Khiamniungan people, who have remained superficially divided politically under two countries, namely, India and Myanmar (Burma) for more than half a century now! The Khiamniungans are a humble and simple people living in the easternmost part of Nagaland and the westernmost region of Myanmar. It is one of the various Naga tribes, which is far behind the rest of the Naga tribes in education and modernizing processes. Significantly, the tribe has remain elusive from outside contacts and influence for a considerable period of time. Christianity, which is undoubtedly the most potent force of social change as well as modernization in this part of the world, reached a part of the tribe for the first time as recent as 1947 and much later in other areas of the tribe. This case of a late-starter can be attributed to the tribe's lagging behind in many aspects of development and modernization.
For the reasons cited above and many other factors, the tribe remains so obscure to many outsiders, who do not even know the exact name of the tribe. The earlier name of the tribe has been recorded (mostly by British administrators and other anthropologists) as "Kalyo Kengyu". It was only after India got Independence that the more conscious leaders of the tribe on the Indian side decided to rename the tribe as "Khiamniungan", keeping the traditional idea of the origin of the tribe from a hole and the subsequent first abode of the tribe in a place called "Khiam-niu-ngan". Henceforth, the tribe was to be called Khiamniungan and the people as Khiamniungans or Khiamniungan Nagas. Presently, Khiamniungans are reduced to having just umbrella church and student organizations while still being hopelessly divided politically into two countries. ou may add text or HTML code to this field and make it as complex as you want. Or, you may erase the content of this field causing it to be hidden when people visit your site. |
