Naga War Dance (Ngao Kiti / Ngao Puo)

Understand

Where Naga War Dance (Ngao Kiti / Ngao Puo) comes from

The Naga war-dance is the most distinctive ritual-dance tradition of the Naga tribes of Nagaland (the Angami, the Ao, the Sema, the Lotha and others), performed at the village festivals and at the celebration of victory or in preparation for community defence. The dance is associated with the warrior-ancestry of the Naga people and with the historical head-taking tradition of the pre-Christian Naga society. Today the dance is performed at the cultural festivals of the state (particularly the Hornbill Festival) and at the cultural programmes of the various Naga tribes. The dance is one of the most distinctive regional traditions of the Northeast.

How it's practiced

The Naga war-dance is performed by men of the community in a circle at the central courtyard of the village or at the open ground of the festival. The men wield the spear (the asu) and the dao (the long machete of the Naga tradition) and the small shield (the khophi), performing the warrior-dance sequences in coordinated formations. The dance is energetic, with the men's lunges and the small steps of the Naga tradition. Music is the bamboo mouth-organ (the bamboo organ of the Naga), the log-drum (the pung) and the small cymbals. Costume is the traditional Naga warrior-dress — the lungi, the headdress with the hornbill-feather (for the Angami and the Ao) and the colourful shawl. Performances are at the Hornbill Festival and at the cultural programmes of the state.