IITGN publishes book on Naga knowledge traditions

Dr. Alok Kumar Kanungo, Associate Research Professor (Archaeology) at IIT Gandhinagar, along with Dr. Alino Sumi, former IITGN PDF and indigenous scholar from Nagaland, has authored a new book titled “Nagas: The Knowledge Practitioners”, published by Routledge.
The book, an outcome of the Ministry of Higher Education’s flagship research scheme SPARC, explores the Nagas not only as custodians of tradition but as active knowledge practitioners. It documents ecological understanding, craftsmanship, social organisation and cultural expression, while highlighting nature-based belief systems and subsistence practices preserved in select villages.
Through detailed case studies, the volume records ancient sciences and traditional methods still in practice, offering insights into the worldview of Naga communities. It includes a foreword by noted ethnographer Peter van Ham and concludes with a reflective couplet by poet Mirza Ghalib, linking classical literary wisdom with indigenous knowledge traditions.
Dr. Kanungo stated that the primary concern in writing the book was to clear longstanding misconceptions about the Nagas, often stereotyped in anthropological discourse, and to present them as knowledge practitioners.
The work also engages with historically documented practices such as headhunting, placing them within broader cultural and intellectual contexts.
The book is expected to serve as a valuable resource for researchers in archaeology, anthropology and Indigenous Studies, while reinforcing the relevance of Naga intellectual contributions in India’s cultural and academic discourse.