WE ALL HAVE some degree of knowledge about the Nagas of India, yet we remain largely unaware of the Nagas living in Myanmar. These communities inhabit the present Sagaing Division of Myanmar, along the borders of Indian states such as Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh and are highly diverse.
Two well-known towns in this region, situated along the great Chindwin River, are Hkamti in the north and Homalin in the south. Around and near Hkamti live tribes such as the Kaishan, Ollo, Chuiyang, Wakka (collectively called Tangsa), and Leinung. Whereas around and near Homalin, the main tribes include the Tangkhul-Somrah, Makuri, Para, and Khemnungan. These Naga-Burmese communities have integrated deeply into Burmese culture and religion; unlike the Nagas in India, many of whom still maintain a degree of resistance toward Indian culture and religious practices. This contrast contributes to a broader cultural divide between the Nagas across the two international boundaries.
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I’ve always been curious about “Eastern Nagalim,” a term often used to refer to Naga-inhabited areas in Myanmar. I had only ever heard stories about their peculiar customs: their staple food as yam, heavy use of poppy (locally called kani), and so-called unhygienic practices. In 2024, I spent significant time with tribes living around Layshi Township. Since many of them are Somrah-Tangkhuls, I didn’t experience much cultural shock. However, during my trip to Lahe in Myanmar’s Sagaing Region in Naga Self-Administered Zone in February 2025, I was surprised and fascinated. Everything I’d heard about the tribes around Lahe turned out to be true; but what people had missed were the beautiful and meaningful details. I never saw their way of life as backward or unhygienic. Instead, their deep dependence on nature stirred something in me: a desire to live a life more connected to nature. I couldn’t help but admire the identical houses lined along rocky meadows, surrounded by hills on all sides, with rivers cutting through valleys where the hills meet.
One of the most eye-opening insights I gained was about their social structure, especially among tribes like the Kaishan, Olo, Chuiyang, and Waka. Gender roles in these communities appeared almost reversed. It reminded me of the study conducted by Margaret Mead in Papua, New Guinea, where men stayed home and adorned themselves while women handled responsibilities traditionally seen as masculine; and where she famously stated, “human nature is almost unbelievably malleable”. Similarly, in these Naga tribes, women do most of the work: gathering firewood, pounding corn and tapioca, and foraging for pig feed.
However, this division of labor comes from a place of inequality and subjugation. Women are seen as inferior and treated like slaves. In the past, men kept long hair while women shaved theirs. Even today, most old women in these communities still keep their hair very short. Women also had very little say during courtship. Houses were built in such a way that girls slept in the outer room near the entrance, while men and parents slept in the main inner room where food was cooked. Doors were left open at night for men to enter. If a man impregnated a woman but didn’t want to marry her, he could simply pay a fine of one buffalo and walk away. Though such practices still exist today, they are increasingly criticized and discouraged as communities transition toward a more Christian way of life.
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It’s easy to romanticize the organic nature of life in these hills. But the reality includes poverty, lack of healthcare, limited education, no roads, no electricity, and complete isolation. That said, there’s something powerful in witnessing a way of life untouched by modernity, a glimpse of how our ancestors may have lived, free from pollution and environmental damage.
I’m grateful I had the chance to take these pictures before development arrives and changes everything.
The author may be reached at pashpashelee@gmail.com