page_title: Naga people
section_title: Naga identity
hierarchical_section_title: Naga people / Naga identity
caption_attribution_description: English: A Naga warrior from Nagaland, India during the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland
context_page_description: The Naga people are various ethnic groups native to the northeastern India and northwestern Myanmar. The groups have similar cultures and traditions, and form the majority of population in the Indian state of Nagaland and Naga Self-Administered Zone of Myanmar; with significant populations in Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in India; Sagaing Division and Kachin State in Myanmar.
  The Nagas speak mainly Sino-Tibetan languages, mostly distinct to each other. The Naga people are divided into various ethnic groups whose exact numbers and population is unclear. Some prominent Naga ethnic groups are Angami, Ao, Chakhesang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Lotha, Makury, Mao, Poumai, Rongmei, Sumi, Tangkhul, Tangshang, Zeme, etc.
context_section_description: The word Naga originated as an exonym. Today, it covers a number of ethnic groups that reside in Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh states of India, and also in Myanmar.
  Before the arrival of the British, the term "Naga" was used in Assam to refer to certain isolated ethnic groups. The British adopted this term for a number of ethnic groups in the surrounding area, based on loose linguistic and cultural associations. The number of groups classified as "Naga" increased significantly in the 20th century: as of December 2015, 89 groups are classified as Naga by the various sources. This expansion in the "Naga" identity has been due to a number of factors including the quest for upward mobility in the society of Nagaland, and the desire to establish a common purpose of resistance against dominance by other groups.  In this way, the "Naga" identity has not always been fixed.
  The Kuki people of Nagaland have been classified as "Naga" in the past, but today are generally considered a non-Naga. The Kuki have had good relations with the Naga in the past, but since the 1990s, conflicts have risen, especially in Manipur.
caption: Naga Warrior
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