Naga

naga

In Hindu and Buddhist mythology, a semidivine being, half human and half serpent. Nagas can assume either wholly human or wholly serpentine form. They live in an underground kingdom filled with beautiful palaces that are adorned with gems. Brahma is said to have relegated the nagas to the nether regions and to have commanded them to bite only the truly evil or those destined to die prematurely. Nagas are also associated with waters—rivers, lakes, seas, and wells—and are regarded as guardians of treasure. In Buddhism it is believed that the snake king sheltered the Buddha from rain for seven days while he was meditating.

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Naga

semi-divine beings with serpent bodies and human heads of terrible and ferocious aspect. [Hindu Myth.: Leach]

See : Monsters

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Naga

a group of related mountain tribes and nationalities (among them the Angami, Ao, Sema, Lhota, and Konyak—about 20 in all) inhabiting the state of Nagaland and part of Manipur and Assam in northeastern India; some of the Naga live in the frontier regions of northwestern Burma.

The total Naga population is more than 500,000 (1970, estimate). They speak languages of the Tibeto-Burman group. They have preserved their ancient animistic beliefs (cults of the spirits of nature, rocks, and so on). The basis of the economy is slash-and-burn and terrace farming, mainly rice growing; livestock raising, hunting, and fishing have also been developed. The Naga waged a lengthy battle for national self-determination. Rapid development of their political and cultural life began after the formation of the state of Nagaland (1961).

REFERENCES

Narody Iuzhnoi Azii. Moscow, 1963.
Elwin, V. Nagaland. Shillong, 1961.

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Naga

a city in the Philippines in southeastern Luzon; capital of Camarines Sur Province. Population, 75,200 (1969). The city is a railroad junction and has an airport. Naga has numerous small abacá fiber processing enterprises which produce rope and cord, wicker baskets, rugs, and sinamay fabric from abacá and from pineapple leaves. Earthenware and rattan items are also manufactured.

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Naga

the conventional name for the languages and dialects spoken- primarily in the mountains of northeastern India (the state of Nagaland and other areas) and the neighboring regions of Burma. There are more than 500,000 speakers of Naga languages (1970, estimate). There are several dozen distinct Naga languages, which are related to the Naga-Kuki-Chin branch (Lhota, Ao, Konyak, Sema) and Bodo-Naga-Kachin branch (Chang, Tamli, Lepcha) of the Sino-Tibetan language family. The Naga languages have not yet been adequately described. They are generally agglutinative in structure. Suffixes are mainly used; prefixation is less well developed. Verbal infixes are found in Lepcha, which is spoken in several regions of Sikkim and Bhutan. Most of the Naga languages are tonal.

REFERENCES

Voegelin, C. F., and F. M. Voegelin. Languages of the World: Sino-Tibetan. Fasc. 1: Anthropological Linguistics, vol. 7. Bloomington, 1964.
Grierson, G. A. Linguistic Survey of India, vol. 3. Delhi, 1967.

I. I. PEIROS