Chang tribe

Chang tribe of Nagaland. Origin of Chang tribe. Culture of Chang tribe. Lifestyle of Chang tribe. Festivals of Chang tribe. Architecture of Chang tribe. climate, geography, arts and crafts, construction materials, divisions in Chang tribe. religion in Chang tribe. administration in Chang community, food and music of Chang tribe.
a detailed note on the tribe is mentioned in the presentation.

1. CHANG N AGA T RIBE

2. The C hang tribe is one of the different tribes in Nagaland. The C hang tribe give importance of traditional "head hunting" in the past, is still widespread these days. The are the tribes who have been spread to around a large area of space. The lifestyle of them are changed nowadays as there is no way for head hunting. The people live their life by weaving and doing craft works. The people are mostly Christians and Hindus. Tuensang District Chang is a  Naga ethnic group of  Nagaland, India. It is one of the recognized Scheduled Tribes. The tribe was also known as   Mazung in British India.  Other Naga ethnic groups know the Changs by different names including   Changhai  (Khiamniungan),  Changru  (Yimkhiung ),   Duenching  (upper Konyak),  Machungrr  (Ao),  Mochumi  ( Sümi ) and  Mojung  (Konyak ). The Nagas occupy a mountainous country of about 100,000 square kilometers in the Patkai Range between India and Burma. About two thirds of the Naga territory is in present day India, divided among the four states Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. The rest lies in Sagiang and Thangdut states in Burma. It is believed that the ancestors of today's Nagas migrated to the Patkai Range from an unknown area in Southwestern China thousands of years ago.

3. The Tuensang District have cold climate The district will have low temperature that ranges between 20 - 30 c in summer while in winter ranges from -3 - 8 c. The sky is fairly clear throughout the year with a cloud cover of less than 50% GEOGRAPHICAL SETTING Almost all Sema villages existed in the hilly regions in Nagaland. The Sema village is usually built either on the summit of a hill or on the shoulder of a spur. Down, near the valley of the river Dayang , where the climate is hot, a summit is usually chosen, but in the higher and colder regions, a shoulder below the ridge of a range of hills is a common site for a village. All the houses within the same village had the same style. This was to ensure that one would immediately be able to identify which tribe a particular village belonged to from a safe distance. The Semas were head hunters. Captured enemy trespassers would be beheaded and their heads hung up.

4. Diversity and Unity The total Naga population is about 3 million, consisting of more than 40 tribes. They speak over 30 different and sometimes mutually unintelligable tonal languages of the Tibeto-Burman language family. In spite of the bewildering diversity in language and culture, all the Naga tribes share a set of core cultural elements that set them apart from other peoples living in the region. But the idea of being "one people" that wants to be recognized as a nation has not existed until fairly recently. TRIBES Chang Tribe AO Tribe P oumei Tribe Tribes A tribe as understood by anthropologists is a type of human social organization in which a group of people larger than a family have a common identity based on common descent, shared language, culture and ideology. Tribes usually consist of a number of smaller, politically autonomous units like villages. In some cases there may be chiefs whose authority reaches beyond on single village. But while tribes may share a tribal name and a contiguous territory, or coordinate joint endeavours such as trade or ritual events, there is no encompassing political authority over a whole tribe. Chang Tribe The chang tribe is an ancient tribe. It can be seen in Nagaland. The territory of the tribe lies between the tuensang district.

5. A ccording to oral tradition, the Changs emerged from a place called Changsangmongko , and later settled at Changsang . The word Chang is said to have been derived from the word  chognu  ( banyan  tree), after a mythical banyan tree that grew at the now-abandoned Changsang . Another theory says that the Chang migrated to present-day Nagaland from the east, and therefore call themselves Chang ("Eastern" in the local dialect). Some Changs also claim the  Aos as their ancestors. The Chang folklore is similar to that of the Ao. Origin . Banyan tree The Banyan tree is venerated in Hinduism because of  its ability to live for centuries and is considered God's shelter . Its large leaves are often used in worship and rituals. The tree is considered a symbol of immortality and Brahma the Creator Demographics The traditional territory of the Changs lies in the central  Tuensang district . Their principal village was Mozungjami / Hakű in Tuensang, from which the tribe expanded to the other villages. According to the 2011 figures, their population was 64226 .

6. Divisions Hamlet Bareh (2010) lists four major  exogamous Chang clans ( phang s ), each with a traditional religious function. According to the Chang mythology, their ancestors lived with wild animals, some of which have assumed the status of clan spirits. The Ong clan regards the  tiger  as a clan spirit, while the others regard wild cats and birds (crows and eagles) as spirits. Braja Bihari Kumara (2005) lists five Chang clans: Chongpo , Ung, Lomou , Kangshou and Kudamji . The Chongpo is further divided into Shangdi , Hangwang , Hagiyung , Ungpong and Maava clans.Historically , the clans were anchored to non-overlapping areas within the village ( khel ), and lived in harmony. The traditional Chang  khels  were well-protected and fortified. Tiger spirit Administration The Chang, like several other Naga ethnic groups, practiced  headhunting  in the pre- British era . The person with maximum number of hunted heads was given the position of  lakbou  (chief), who would settle the village disputes. He was entitled to maintain special decorative marks in his house, and to wear special ceremonial dress during the festivals After the headhunting was abolished, the village disputes were resolved by a council of informally elected village leaders. Such councils also selected the fields for  jhum cultivation , and fixed the festival dates. The Changs constructed a platformed called " Mullang Shon" in the center of the village, which would serve as a public court. Issues such as village administration, cultivation, festivals, marriages and land boundaries were discussed on this platform. The State Government of Nagaland later established Village Development Boards in all the villages. The Village Development Board consists of 5-6 members, including one female member. It executes the development schemes in the village. The statutory village council consists of 6-7 adult males from different clans or territories ( khels ). This council maintains peace and order in the village, settles civil disputes according to the traditional laws, arranges for arrest of criminals and enforces the Government regulations.

7. Religion As of 2001, about 99.5% of the Changs were Christians .  However, the Changs were originally animists. They believed in a continuity between the humans, the nature and the supernatural forces. They do not worship any family, clan or village deities. But, they believe in several nature spirits (water, sky, jungle etc .) The most important spirit is  Sampule Mukhao  (or  Shambuli Muhgha ), the spirit of the paddy field. Traditionally, the  Ongbou  (the village priest from the Ong clan) performed major sacrifices during the festivals. The Chang conversions to Christianity started in 1936, and the Chang Naga Baptist Association was formed in 1940 . Culture Language The Changs speak the Chang language, which belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family.  Nagamese  is used for communicating with the outsiders. The educated Changs also speak English and Hindi languages . Clothing After the advent of Christianity, several Changs have adopted modern clothing. The traditional Chang dress features distinctive shawl-like garments and ornamented headgear. Colonel Ved Prakash mentions that the Chang shawls "surpass all the Naga shawls in beauty and eye-catching patterns". The shawl designs are different for different age groups and clans.  Mohnei , a cowrie-ornamented shawl, could be worn only by a man who had taken more than 6 heads

8. The traditional Chang cuisine is non-vegetarian, and comprises a variety of meats and fish. Rice is the staple food of the tribe. Milk , fruits and vegetables were not a major part of the traditional Chang food habits, but have been adopted widely in the modern times.  Rice beer used to be of high social and ritual importance, but has largely been abandoned after the conversion of Changs to Christianity. Food Rice Beer Fish Meat Music The traditional instruments include xylophone, various drums (made by stretching animal hide), bamboo trumpets and  bamboo flutes.The traditional instruments have been replaced by  guitar  among the modern Changs . Social practices The traditional Chang society is patrilineal, and the males inherit the land and the positions of authority. Nuclear families are predominant in the Chang society. The marriage is called  chumkanbu , and  remarriages are permitted

9. Festivals Being Christians, the modern Changs celebrate  Christmas  in a big way. They have six traditional festivals Festivals Festival Time Monitored by the clan Description Naknyu Lem ( or Naknyulum) July–August Ung Festival dates are fixed 2 days ahead. Naknyu Lem is a 6-day festival during which the dead are honored and the sky god/spirit is appeased. Marriages are prohibited during the period. Household fires are lit during the night . Po- A nglum or Poang Lem December Haongang Festival dates are fixed 6 days ahead. Jeinyu Lem Haongang Festival dates are fixed 6 days ahead. Muong Lem Ung Festival dates are fixed 6 days ahead. Monyu Lem Ung Festival dates are fixed 6 days ahead. Kundang Lem (or Kundanglum) April/July Haongang Festival dates are fixed 5 days ahead. Kundang Lem is a five-day festival. The first three days are spent collecting the construction material for field huts in the Jhum cultivated area. The material is tested on the fourth day, and the huts are collectively constructed on the fifth day. The festival ends with feasting . Naknyu Lem Po- Anglum Jeinyu Lem Kundang Lem

10. Naknyulum (major festival) Naknyulüm  is the major traditional festival of the Changs. According to the Chang mythology, the ancient people had to remain inside their homes for six days due to extreme darkness.  Naknyulüm  is held to celebrate the light on the seventh day . On the first day, the domestic animals are slaughtered, the villages are cleaned, and firewood and water are stocked. On the second day ( Youjem , dark moon day), the tribals exchange gifts and food items, and play sports. Women play a musical instrument called  kongkhin . The paths and the houses are decorated with leaves, and a shrub called  Ngounaam  is planted in front of the house to ward off the evil spirits. At sunset, seeds called  Vui long  are buried inside the rice husks and burnt around the house. The fragments of the exploding seeds moving away from the house are considered a good omen. If the fragments bound back towards the house, it is a bad omen. People don't go out of their homes at sunset, as it is believed that the spirit  Shambuli Muhgha  visits the village, and harms anyone outside the house. On the third day, the village and the approach roads are cleaned. Later, the paths leading to the fields and neighboring villages are cleaned. Economy Agriculture is the traditional occupation of the tribe, and jhum cultivation is practiced. Rice, millets, Job's Tears, pulses and vegetables are the main crops. Trade and business were practiced mainly as subsidiary occupations. The Changs carried out barter trade with the other tribes (Yimkhiung, Khiamniungan, Ao and Konyak), exchanging shawls and other garments for the things they needed. Crafts such as wood-carving, spinning, weaving, pottery and basketry are also pursued.

11. House Typology Building materials The primary construction materials were: TIMBER – for structural elements, like the posts BAMBOO – for walls and other structural elements THATCH – as the roofing material. The interior of the Sema house was ordinarily divided into four parts The Akishekhoh  – or front room where the rice pounding tables were kept. The Abidelabo  – a narrow room between the Akishekhoh and the Amiphokiboh (hearth room) where the unmarried girls of the household sleep. The Akuzu -Abo  – where the head of the family (father) and his wife sleeps. The Azhi -Bo  – the liquor room where rice beer is stored in bamboo jugs.

12. Chief Inato’s Hut

13. . ORNAMENTATION The two bamboos forming the gable were prolonged beyond the roof to form horns called the tenhaku – ki (snail horns). These were sometimes decorated with bamboo tassels and imitations of birds. The Semas did not decorate their houses like other tribes – or at least not as much. They usually adorned their houses with the heads of game or Mithan heads which the owner slaughtered. Sometimes, in the chief’s house, human heads were also hung as trophies

14. Submitted by: G . Sagar K.Jyotheesh