Hao Naga Culture of Marān Kasā: The Vanishing Material Culture

Abstract

The Hao (Tangkhul) Nagas is one of the largest groups of people among the Nagas living in the state of Manipur (India) and in the North Western part of Myanmar. Before their hills were Christianised, the Hao Nagas took pride in hosting the "feast of merit” called Marān Kasā in Tangkhul language. Today, we find the observance of this feast in some Hao villages. Erection of a wooden monument called Tarung Kashun occupies an integral part of the feast. The culture of Marān Kasā is one of the costliest affairs in their village life. Not all, but few individuals within the village were capable of hosting this costly affair in the pre-Christian period. The arts carved on the Tarung (wooden monument) have its meanings and significance. The advent of Christianity in 1896, adoption of modern education and western culture has brought drastic changes in their lifestyle, faith, profession and outlook on the worldview. Today, these changes question the relevance of much of their culture including the culture of Marān Kasā. This research article is a humble attempt to present the culture associated with Marān Kasā including the selection of Tarung and the village feasting. It claims that the culture of Marān Kasā is no longer an individual affair as it was in the pre-Christian period; this has now become an affair of the village or locality at large. In other words, today the village or locality as a whole hosts the "feast of merit”. In this work, the terms Hao and Tangkhul are used synonymously.