The term “Kacha Nagas,” first coined by Western anthropologists during colonial-era ethnographic and linguistic studies in the Naga Hills and surrounding regions, has resurfaced in recent years—largely within the realm of social media.
Once used as an anthropological label to classify certain tribes and sub-tribes in what is now Northeast India, the term also appears in a declassified research paper produced by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The document, titled “The Nagas,” was prepared in August 1963 for internal CIA use. Bearing the file number CIA-RDP85-00671R000200060001-5, it remained classified until it was approved for public release on August 24, 1999.
Rather than asking how the expression “Kacha Nagas” found its way into a CIA intelligence study, a more pertinent question is: Who did the CIA actually classify as “Kacha Nagas”?
According to the report:
“The term Kacha Nagas refers collectively to several tribes or tribal divisions, principally composed of Zemi, Lyeng (or Lyengma, Liangmi), Kabui and Maruong people. Reports indicate that these four groups have been closely allied and have acted as a political unit for some years.”
The report further notes:
“Originally the Kacha Nagas were located around Mekroma, but subsequent migrations led them across the Barail Range, mainly in the directions of Tehema and Khonoma. More recently their reported locations have been the Naga Hills District, Manipur, and along the Barak River as far south as the North Cachar Hills.”
Notably, the CIA document does not classify several major Naga communities of Manipur—including the Mao, Maram, Chiru, Maring and Tangkhul Nagas—under the “Kacha Nagas” category.
Researchers and interested readers may consult the original declassified CIA document here: https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP85-00671R000200060001-5.pdf
From Colonial Classification to Social Media Slur
Today, the expression “Kacha Nagas” has largely fallen out of academic use. Instead, it has found new life on social media, where it is frequently used in online exchanges and comment sections, often in a derogatory or antagonistic manner.
In the context of Manipur’s prolonged ethnic tensions, the term is increasingly employed as a pejorative against certain Naga communities, particularly those in Manipur. It is often invoked during political disagreements, especially when the positions taken by Southern Nagas diverge from those of Kuki groups, not the Zomis. To view this objectively, the label has also, at times, been used by some Nagas against fellow Naga communities. It goes to show the persistence of an outdated colonial vocabulary.
The expression itself originated within colonial anthropology, where communities were often categorised according to hierarchical frameworks that no longer reflect contemporary historical or social understanding. As such, its continued use risks perpetuating stereotypes rooted in colonial classifications rather than present-day realities.
The declassified CIA report does not validate the modern usage of the term. On the contrary, it demonstrates that even in historical documentation, “Kacha Nagas” referred only to a limited set of communities rather than serving as a blanket label for the Nagas of Manipur.
Understanding what historical records actually say, and equally, what they do not say, offers an opportunity to challenge misconceptions surrounding the term. If public discourse is to move beyond inherited colonial terminology, it should begin with an accurate reading of the historical record.
Editorial | Nehruvian approach to the Nagas and Northeast India
The term kacha Naga is not at all derogatory . It is a sylheti ( a kind of Bengali spoken in sylhet and Cachar/ kachar) word meaning foothills. The British first landed in the present day NE India at Cachar.( Source – History of Cachar).They came into contact with hill/ slope ( kachar/ cachar) tribals particular Dimasa kachari and Nagas – Kacha Naga.