Nagaland University undertaking archaeological studies on prehistoric Nagas' existence

The Nagaland University is undertaking archaeological studies on the prehistoric existence of Nagas with the aim of determining climate change mitigation options that will assist in the supply of food security in Nagaland.

A University representative explained that the research encompasses the Holocene and Anthropocene geologic time epochs. He explained that to accord dignity to the heritage and traditional knowledge of the Indigenous peoples related to Naga ancestral domains, scientists are collaborating with indigenous peoples and are very much involved in carrying out community-based participatory research.

These practices not only validate local ownership claims but also enhance the scientific process considerably. Archaeology and palaeoclimate science are the twin pillars of this project with a focus on building an early knowledge of Naga history from earliest times through to recent past.

To date, very little work has been undertaken in this area, and the history of the distant Naga past remains fragmentary, qualitative and securely dated chronology.

The research team is looking into two types of sites -- Prehistoric sites, where they hope to be able to find evidence for the pre-agricultural past and the Naga ancestral village sites, which are largely situated beneath current village settlements.

Ancestral sites are pre-colonial indigenous occupation sites and function as collective memory for descent groups, e.g., in stories of group migration from eminent sites of dispersal.

This multi-disciplinary community-based research is financially supported for four years (2025-2028) by the Australian Research Council, which is a Commonwealth organization under the Australian government.

It has collaborations from Nagaland University, University of Sydney, La Trobe University, the University of York and the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, in terms of local government assistance from the Department of Art and Culture under the state government, the official added.

The deliverables of this project would be customized information to the collaborating communities, a very large number of scientific publications, and high-level community engagement of important recommendations for action towards sustainability in Nagaland.

The project is being carried out by a group of researchers led by Prof. Tiatoshi Jamir, Department of History and Archaeology, Nagaland University and also includes researchers from other universities.

Interpreting the input of this research, Prof. Alison Betts, The University of Sydney, said, "We work with communities to reveal the internal history of their villages, to observe how their food systems have evolved over time and to determine any earlier adjustments they may have made to changed climatic conditions."

"Drawing from this information and general scientific research, our research will encompass recommendations and suggestions that may help Indigenous societies towards a more suitable adaptation in the midst of increasingly uncertain environmentally challenging times," he added.

Prof. Tiatoshi Jamir, group leader of the study, also provides, "We have already undertaken a pilot study at Shamator District's village Langa.".

Langa was once abandoned and has now been recolonized. The older villagers gave their own history orally for the first settlement and abandonment. "He said that the excavations have revealed remains of a previous village settlement.".

Although some of our work was within the domain of public outreach, we have created a short film on community archaeology recording the oral history of the village as well as the archaeology of this ancestral landscape through collaborative efforts of local communities of Langa, Kuthur, and Yimkhiung Tribal Council (YTC).".

Similar research is also underway at New Phor (Burakha), Meluri District, with the participation of the New Phor community and Pochury Hoho," said Prof Jamir. 

The project is a pioneering multi-disciplinary exploration of the past, community participation, agriculture, and sustainability. It is novel and innovative in design, but it could be a model for other similar work elsewhere.

Learning from past experience to enlighten the future is a rising trend in university research, especially against the backdrop of declining ecosystems, loss of indigenous knowledge, and the pressing need for creating sustainable food security in the context of impending spectacular environmental change. 

Nagaland has a long history of sustainable agriculture, the varsity official said, founded on centuries of intricate management and immense volumes of traditional knowledge.

"Now, events are unfolding with youngsters migrating out of villages and long-term farming systems increasingly under threat from unpredictable and potentially harmful climatic phenomena," he characterized.

The traditional 'jhum' system (slash-and-burn type of cultivation) has been attacked for its alleged environmentally destructive methods of deforestation and incendiarism.

This perspective has been recently questioned by recent scientific research, which indicates that rotational system farming has a significant contribution towards natural biodiversity, genetic agro-diversity, weather resilience, homogenisation of crops reduction and social unity.

Fieldwork will be combined with archaeological investigation for the reconstruction of environmental change on a millennial timescale. Plotting past economic transformation into sequences of climatic transformation will demonstrate how in the past human beings have reacted to climatic condition changes.

Members of the team will analyze ancient pot residues to find out what people used to eat. Analysis of the soil will recover phytoliths, distinctive microscopic silica bodies that develop in plants and could suggest the presence of recognizable plant taxa.

Blackened plant wastes will be used to produce samples to be radiocarbon dated in a bid to create a historical chronology of change and development. The nutritional content of different components of Naga cuisine will be investigated in a bid to explore the health effects of ancient food preservation methods.