Reading continuities and change in vernacular architecture among the Hao Naga

  • Somingam Mawon North-Eastern Hill University

Abstract


The Hao (Tangkhul) people are among the largest of the Naga tribes, and are settled on either side of the India and Myanmar border. Prior to the arrival of the British, Hao villages were largely peripheral to the modernising forces that brought about significant change in political centres such as Imphal, the capital of Manipur. The increasing presence of the British administrative apparatus along with the advent of Christianity introduced significant changes most notably western forms of education and governance. The establishment of  institutions at variance with indigenous forms created hybridisations in both religious and social arenas, significantly altering local Hao world views. Forms of visual and material culture absorb new influences, and this paper presents types, meanings, and motifs associated with social status among the Hao as indexed in vernacular architecture.

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Published
19-Apr-2015
How to Cite
Mawon, S. (2015). Reading continuities and change in vernacular architecture among the Hao Naga. The South Asianist Journal, 4(2). Retrieved from http://www.southasianist.ed.ac.uk/article/view/1172