CHANDEL: The first federal assembly cum seminar 2026 of the Naga Village Chiefs/Headmen Federation South (NVCHFS) held at the Indoor Stadium, Chandel on Thursday declared the Naga Village Chief institution as the foundation of the Naga Civilization and guardian of the ancestral land.
Hosted by the Naga Chiefs Association, Chandel under the theme “Strengthening Traditional Institutions, Customary Governance and Constitutional Rights of Naga Villages in South”, the assembly cum seminar was attended by chiefs from Naga Villages across Manipur.
Ram Muivah, IAS (Rtd) and MLA of 44-Ukhrul (ST) AC spoke on “Chiefship/Headmanship and Village Authority: Traditional, legal and constitutional responsibilities” and said that chiefs are the foundation of which villages stand.
He said the role and responsibility of a chief in a Naga village is vital as he is the head and the foundation of the village. He stressed on the roles they play in shaping and developing a village.
The MLA also said that when making a judgement, chiefs of Naga Villages do not take decisions on their own but rather on the consensus voice of the village. And that is the beauty of being the chief of a Naga village, the MLA said.
During the assembly, the house stated that the Naga Village Chief institution was established by our forefathers from time immemorial. They declared that “this institution stands as the foundation of the Naga civilization, the backbone of the Naga National Movement (War of Resistance) in today’s context, guarding the ancestral land, exercising authority of the customary laws sanctified by ancestral covenant that has provided peace, prosperity and hope to all the people.”
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The assembly further declared that the Naga Village Chief serves as the supreme custodian of the traditions and culture, sacred tires, and sovereignty over all things within the village.
During the assembly cum seminar, chiefs and leaders of the Naga villages were felicitated with a tribe scarf and a memento.
Earlier, Reverend Dr. Fr. Avince Dilbung, Parish Priest, St. Peter’s Parish, Monsang Pantha invoked God’s blessings upon the event while Reverend Dr. Sr. Onesima, President, Anal Naga Baptist Association (ANBA) said the benediction.
As the theme suggests, the assembly cum seminar stressed on the traditional institutions, customary governance and constitutional rights of Naga villages in South.
