# Sümi Naga

The Sümis are a major Naga ethnic group native to the northeast Indian state of Nagaland. They primarily inhabit the central and southern regions of Nagaland, with significant populations in the Zünheboto and Dimapur districts. Anthropological study of the Sümis is documented in the book The Sema Nagas by J. H. Hutton, who was a Professor of Social Anthropology in the University of Cambridge. The Sümi people are recognised as a Scheduled Tribe (ST's) by India.

## Religion

The ancestral religion of the Sümis was the worship of nature. With the arrival of Baptist missionaries in the 20th century, like other Naga ethnic groups, today, Sümis are 99% Christians. Very few of them still practice animism.

### Advent of Christianity

In November 1928, the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society (formerly, American Baptist Missionary Union) resolved to open a dedicated mission to work with the Sümis. Subsequently, the Sumi Baptist Association was founded in 1929 under the name of Sumi Baptist Akukuhou Kuqhakulu (Sumi Baptist Church Association, SBAK). In 1936, Reverend Anderson was assigned to supervise the mission. He was designated to build a mission centre at Aizuto near Lokobomi village. Anderson lived in the new centre only briefly from 1949 to 1950. He was soon replaced by Reverend Delano who became the first Christian missionary to live permanently among the Sümis. Delano lived in the mission from 1949 to 1955 until his family and he were asked to leave by the Indian government who expelled all the missionaries from the Naga Hills.

## Origin

The Sumi, also known as Sema, are one of the major Naga tribes predominantly residing in Nagaland, India. Their origins are rooted in the broader history of Naga tribes, who are believed to have migrated from regions in present-day Myanmar into Northeast India.
They can be primarily found inhabiting the Zünheboto district which is native to the ethnic group. There are also sizable inhabitants of Sümi descents in Chümoukedima, Dimapur, Niuland and in some parts of Kiphire, mokokchung and wokha district. There are seven Sümi villages in Tinsukia District of Assam.
Oral traditions among the Sumi recount their migration from Khezhakeno, a village considered a common point of origin for several Naga tribes. From Khezhakeno, the Sumi dispersed in various directions, eventually settling in their current locations.
Historically, the Sumi were known for their warrior traditions, including headhunting, a practice common among Naga tribes before the advent of Christianity in the region. With the arrival of Christian missionaries in the early 20th century, the Sumi, like many other Naga tribes, underwent significant cultural transformations, embracing Christianity and abandoning traditional practices such as headhunting.
Today, the Sumi are recognized for their rich cultural heritage, including vibrant festivals like Tuluni, which celebrates the completion of the sowing season and prays for a bountiful harvest. They continue to play a significant role in the socio-political landscape of Nagaland, contributing to the state's cultural diversity and development.

## Festivals

The Sümis celebrate many festivals which have been carried down from generations. Most of these festivals usually mark the beginning of new seasons, harvesting of new crops or victory at war. The two major festivals that are currently popular among them are:

### Tülüni

Tülüni (July 8) is a festival of great significance for the Sümis. This festival is marked with feasts as the occasion occurs in the bountiful season of the year. Drinking rice beer indispensably forms as part of the feasts. Rice beer is served in a goblet made of bamboo or made from the leaf of plantain. Rice Beer is an everyday diet for the Nagas and Sumi Nagas in general. However, Tülüni is not a feast to celebrate or worship Rice beer. Tülüni is also called "Anni" the word of which denotes the season of plentiful crops. This midyear festival is a time of communal harmony and merry-making for the Sümi community. Slaughtering of pigs, cows and mithun is an important feature of this festival. Tülüni, is a festive season which marks season of plenty, a season to bond relationship through marriage ties, settle differences amongst friends and foes. In short, it is a season to mend broken relations and to celebrate togetherness, unity and harmony.
During this festival, the betrothed exchange basketful of gifts with meals. The fiance is invited to a grand dinner at the fiancee's residence. Even siblings of the families of both the bride and groom exchange dinner and packed food and meats - wrapped the traditional way in plantain leaves. It was a time of joy even for servants and housekeepers in the olden days. On this day they were fed extra generously with good food and meat.
The practice of working in groups is common for the Sümi agriculture farmers, and Tülüni is a special time for them because they get to rest and celebrate the completion of a farming season of hard work in their paddy fields. For this festival, the farmer groups (also called Aloji) pool in money or other resources together to exchange/buy pigs and cows to be slaughtered for the special day. The meat is equally divided among themselves and some portion is kept aside for the group feast. In the midst of the feast, group leaders get extra offers of meat by way of feeding them by others. Each working group consists of 20 to 30 in number which includes several women, too. The new recruits are also made to join the group at this grand feast.
The betrothed are settled at this period. The fervours of the feast is synchronised with a chain of folk songs and ballads. In modern times, friends and members from other ethnic groups and communities are invited to attend the feast and are entertained with a variety of traditional songs and dances, they are also served with sumptuous authentic Sümi cuisine of smoked pork and axone with local herbs and vegetables.
By virtue of two separate clans the gennas and rituals differ between Sümi and Tukumi. Among all other festivals and gennas. Sumis, in general, accept the festival of Tülüni as the most grand and important one.

### Ahuna

Ahuna (14 November) is a traditional post-harvest festival of the Sümis. Ahuna signifies the celebration of the season's harvest in Thanksgiving, while invoking the spirit of good fortune in the New Year. On this occasion, the entire community prepares and feasts on the first meal of rice drawn from the season's harvest cooked in bamboo segments. The receptacles for cooking or serving on this occasion are freshly made, curved or cut, from locally available resources prolific and abundant in the countryside.
Ahuna is celebrated on 13 and 14 November and now holds the status of the official festival of the Sümi Nagas because it falls in a dry season and accessibility for visitors in terms of road conditions are better. Tülüni is still the most respected festival for the local Sümi.

## Notable people

* Y. Hewoto Awomi, Former politician from Dimapur-II Assembly constituency
* G. Kaito Aye, Cabinet Minister in Nagaland Legislative Assembly
* K. L. Chishi, Former Chief Minister of Nagaland
* Hekani Jakhalu Kense, Member of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly
* Alobo Naga, Musician
* Hokato Hotozhe Sema, Sportsperson
* Hokishe Sema, (1921–2007), Former Chief Minister of Nagaland and Governor of Himachal Pradesh
* H. K. Sema, Former Supreme Court Judge
* Shikiho Sema, (1946–1998), Former Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
* Isak Chishi Swu, (1929–2016), Chairman of NSCN-IM
* Scato Swu, (1924–2014), Former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from Nagaland
* Kihoto Hollohon Yepthomi, (1932–2021), Politician
* Tokheho Yepthomi, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
* Jacob Zhimomi, Minister in Nagaland Legislative Assembly
* H. Khekiho Zhimomi, (1946–2015), Former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha