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. CHANGNAGA TRIBE

2. • The Chang tribe is one of the different tribes in
Nagaland.
• The Chang 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
Poumei 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. • According 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
(phangs), 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-Anglum 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