Religion of the Tangkhul Naga in North-East India: Continuity and Change

Abstract

Religion as one of the basic institution in every human society is a system of beliefs usually involving the worship of supernatural forces or beings which continues to have major influence. This paper is an attempt to explain the continuity and change in religion among the Tangkhul Naga tribe in North-East India. The people had their own traditional religion which was a belief in the polytheism. During the British rule in India, Christianity swept over the entire region and this tribal community had since embraced Christianity although the tradition, beliefs system, symbols, etc continue to be major part of their culture. The article delineate upon the different types of spirits people worship along with the significance of each spirit which was later abandoned when Western missionaries brought the gospel of Jesus. The article also discussed how Christianity was introduced and conclude by discussing how the people are now consciously making efforts to protect their traditional culture.

Key words: Religion, Polytheism, monotheism, spirits Varivara