Blog

By Esther Swu The Highland Institute is collaborating with Dr Sahana Ghosh (Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the National University of Singapore), on a research project entitled ‘Soldier-Citizens Labouring in the Border Security Force.’ The project focuses on an important period in Naga social history and examines how it was that, from the early […]

By Ningthoukhongjam Girija ‘The very notion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political position.’ – George Orwell Music is so much more than mere entertainment. Music tells stories about lost lovers, fond memories, differences, and injustice, words we could have said but have not said. Music narrates the tales

By Kevide Lcho     About Rüzaphema Rüzaphema is in the Chümoukedima District of Nagaland. The village has a population of around 2400 individuals, and the entire land holding is about 150 square kilometers. The settlement is approximately 200 years old. Oral history says that it was founded by four people; three were Angami—one from

By Tarini Manchanda     It is an April morning, and we head to Khonoma Village from Nagaland’s capital city, Kohima, along with two friends from the Highland Institute. Rita who was born in Khonoma has given us access. She is married Dr. Mekro. They are taking us to Rita’s ancestral family home. Despite being

By Tümüzo Katiry     In the remote highlands of the North-Eastern region of India and the North-Western part of Myanmar, indigenous Naga communities have been compelled to live in an unimaginable predicament, oscillating between self-determination and a sense of belonging. This blog post is a reflection of my experience during the Earthkeepers’ preliminary fieldwork in

By Kevide Lcho       Introduction to Oil Palm – A Versatile and Controversial Crop: Oil palm, scientifically known as Elaeis guineensis, is an agricultural crop that has gained immense global importance in recent decades. Native to West Africa, oil palm is now cultivated across tropical regions worldwide, primarily for its highly versatile and valuable

By Lu Chi     Introduction In Part I of this two-part blog series, we looked at the turbulent history of Machi Village and learned about the courage and dedication of the villagers, mostly women, who returned to rebuild their homes in the 1960s after a tragic event. At the end of Part 1, we

By Lu Chi     The Journey Begins I am a Myanmar-born ethnic Naga who recently arrived in Kohima, Nagaland, India, to work on the MyClimate Project, jointly implemented by The Highland Institute (THI) and the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). Although I am a Naga, this was my first visit to Nagaland on

By Christian Poske     With the support of the Firebird Foundation for Anthropological Research (USA), ethnomusicologist Dr Christian Poske conducted a research project on the Naga recordings of the German ethnologist Thomas Kaiser in collaboration with the Ethnographic Museum Zurich and the Highland Institute between October 2022 and April 2023. Comprising over 2,000 sound

By Saktum Wonti   “We had to walk for two days to reach Noklak,” my mother would say when we were little and living in Nagaland, India. She belongs to the Khiamniungan Naga tribe and was raised over the border in Myanmar. Like many others, my mother came to India for education and eventually settled