Chapter 3

NAGA POPULATION AND DISTRIBUTION

This chapter deals with the overall population scenario of the Nagas. The Naga Hills is

sandwiched between the Brahmaputra valley (Assam) in the west, lower Himalayas in

the northern side, Chindwin river of Myanmar in the eastern side and Imphal valley of

Manipur in the south. The consolidated Naga Hills is located between 93°30' E and

95°15'E longitudes and 24°30'N and 27°0'N latitudes. The Naga Hills has a

mountainous character with numerous ridges, spurs, peaks and narrow river valleys. As

noted in chapter 1, the contiguous Naga Hills ranges falls under different political

administration units. The distribution of Naga communities are distributed in Tirap

district and Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, in the Nagaland State, in the Hill

districts cif Manipur consisting (Tamenglong, Senapati, Chandel and Ukhrul), and part of

Karbi Anglong district and North Cachar Hills district of Assam.

3.1 Population

The various Naga communities traditionally lived in well-defined ethnic territories. But,

in the process of Indian State re-organisations and subsequent emergence of state

political boundaries cut across the Naga ethnic territory. This had been done without the

consent of the Nagas concerned. For instance, the Zeliangrong Nagas was divided into

three administrative units that is, Manipur State, Nagaland State and Assam State

According to Population Census of India (1991), the Government oflndia (GOI)

listed the following Naga groups as Scheduled Tribes (see table 3.1). The Naga

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communities recognised as Scheduled Tribes by the Constitution of India are given in

table 1. The Naga groups like Tarao, Thangal, poumei. Kharam of Manipur State and

Kalya Konguyu of Nagaland State are yet to be recognised as Scheduled Tribes by the

Government of India.

TABLE 3.1 Reco2nised Naga community as Scheduled Tribes 1991 Nagalang 1\'[anipur !Arunachal lAss am I. Angami* I. Anal I. Tangsa IZeliangrong 2. Ao 2. Chiru ~. Wancho ~· Chakhesang 3. Chothe 3. Nocte 4. Chang 4. Kabui (including Puimei) 5. Chirr 5. Kacha Naga (Zeme & Liangmei) p. Khiemnungan 6. Koireng 17. Konyak 7. Lamgang 8. Lotha 8. Mao (including Poumei) 19. Makhori 9. Maram IO. Phom IO. Maring II. Rengma II. Monsang I2. Sangtam I2.Moyon 13. Serna* 13. Tangkhul I4. Tikhir I5. Yimchunger I6.Zeliang I7. Pochury

* These two communities are also recognised as ST in Manipur State.

Source of Data: In the absence of authentic information and reliable source of data,

estimation of Naga population is a very difficult. Another problem associated with it is,

the Naga population falls into different political and administration units making it

difficult to calculate as one. However, the present figures have been based on the

Official data published by the Government oflndia.

The present Naga population is generated from the decadal publications of the

Population Census of India1• Every decade, the Office of the Registrar General and

Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (Gol) conduct

65

census to enumerate the Indian population. The Nagas living outside the jurisdiction of

Union Government oflndia cannot be tabulated because of the lack ofinformation.

As noted earlier, the Indian Population Census (1991) listed 35 Naga groups as

Scheduled Tribes. Out of a total of 35 Naga groups, 17 are found in Nagaland State, 15

(fifteen) Naga communities inhabits in the four hill districts of Manipur State and the

district are Senapati, Ukhrul, Tamenglong and Chandel. The remainig Three Naga

groups are in the districts of Tirap and Chanlang in Arunachal Pradesh. Some of the

Zeliangrong Nagas falls under the North Cachar Hill district in Assam.

Population Size and Growth Rate

It is obvious that three demographic variables- fertility, mortality, and migration are

responsible for population growth. When there is a positive difference between the

number of births and the number of deaths, population grows and this increase of births

over deaths is known as the natural increase of population. Table 3.2 shows the size and

growth rate of total Naga population. In 1991 population census, the total Nagas living in

Indian sub-continent is recorded as 14,54,8642 persons. In the 1981 census, the total

Naga population recorded was 8,92,356 persons. Among the Naga communities, Ao

Nagas recorded the largest absolute number of 1,65,893 persons in 1991 census. The

second largest is Serna Nagas with 1 ,50, 780 persons and it is closely followed by

Konyak Nagas, 1,36,458 persons and Tangkhul Nagas, 1,07,244 persons. The smallest

Naga groups are Makhori with only 826 persons, Koireng 873 persons, Monsang 1803

persons and Chirr 2067 persons.

The decadal growth rate of the whole Naga population in the decade 1971-1981

is 29.6 per cent. However, in the decade 1981-1991, the total Naga population registered

a growth rate as high as 63.3 per cent. The difference in the percentage change between

66

the two decades 1971-1981 and 1981-1991 is 33.3 per cent. In the following section we

shall examine the population scenario by state-wise.

Nagaland State: The percentage share of population among the various Naga

communities in Nagaland State are follows: The Ao Nagas has the highest population

share with 16.1 per cent to total Naga population in the state. This is followed by Serna

Nagas with 14.6 per cent. The Konyak Nagas is 13.2 per cent, Angami Nagas 9.4 per

cent, Chakhesang Nagas 8.6 per cent, Lotha Nagas 8 per cent and Phom Nagas 6.3 per

cent. The rest of the Naga groups constitute a very low proportion of percentage.

The Nagas of Nagaland state recorded a growth rate of 65.8 per cent in the

decade 1981-1991. This shows a high growth rate of Naga population in recent years.

Among major Naga groups, the highest decadal growth rate is recorded in Phom Nagas

the percentage being 352.8 per cent. The decadal growth rate among Konyak Nagas, Ao

Nagas, Serna Nagas and Angami Nagas are 63.1 per cent, 58.6 per cent, 58.2 per cent

and 55.7 per cent respectively. This is closely followed by Chakhesang Nagas (46.7 per

cent) and Lotha ( 42.3 per cent). The decadal growth rate among the smaller Naga

com~unities like Tikhir Nagas and Rengma Nagas also registered a very high and the

percentage are 155.7 and 111.3 respectively.

The percentage change among the major Naga groups in the state indicates a low

proportion between the decade 1971-81 and 1981-91. However, the major Naga

community like Phom Nagas, Ao Nagas, Serna Nagas, Angami Nagas, Konyak Nagas,

Lotha Nagas and Chakhesang Nagas contributes larger population in terms of absolute

number. Though the smaller Naga groups accounted for high percentage of decadal

growth rate like Tikhir Nagas, Makhori Nagas, Rengma Nagas and Sangtam Nagas but

their contribution to total population is considerably low.

67

Manipur State: Among the Naga groups in Manipur, Tangkhul Nagas constitutes the

largest proportion recording 32.1 percentage. This is followed by Mao Nagas and Kabui

Nagas and the percentage are 23 and 18.7 respectively. But the rest of the Naga groups

constitutes very low proportion (see table 2).

During 1981-1991, the decadal growth rate ofNaga population in Manipur state

is recorded as 59.5 per cent during. This indicates a considerably increase of Naga

population in the last decades. In the previous decade 1971-1981, the population growth

rate was only 19.2 per cent. During the decade 1981-1991, the two majorNaga groups,

that is, Kacha and Kabui had registered high growth rate with 163.7 per cent and 140.2

per cent respectively. Mao Nagas and Tangkhu1 Nagas also exhibits considerable growth

rate with 51.7 per cent and 35.7 per cent. In the case of smaller groups, the decadal

growth rate is considerably low as compared to the larger groups.

Arunachal Pradesh and Assam: In Arunachal Pradesh, Wancho Nagas share half of the

total Naga population present in the ~tate and the proportion is 57.7 per cent. The Nocte

Nagas and Tangsa Nagas have a proportion of population of 29.9 per cent and 12.9 per

cent respectively. The growth rate of these three Nagas is considerably low. Negative

growth rate is recorded in Tangsa Nagas in the 1991 population census. The Naga groups

living in Assam State are small in size. In 1991, there were only 12,908 persons. In

Assam, the growth rate could not be calculated because there is no census conducted in

Assam State in the year 1981.

To sum up the Nagas of Nagaland state registered high decadal growth rate in

1991. The same pattern is also observed in Manipur but here the growth rate is slightly

lower. For Nagas as a whole, the highest growth rates are largely shown by the major

68

Naga groups. Perhaps, the high growth rate in the Naga population is a result of the

natural growth. However, enumeration inadequacy cannot be ruled out.

TABLE 3 2 s· Sh 1ze, are an d G wth R t fN ro a eo aga P I f opu a 100

State/Naga Total population Percentage Decadal Growth Rate Difference Groups

1971 1981 1991 share of

1971-81 1981-91 in Growth

population to Rate total Naga population, 1991

Total NAGAS 6,88,180 8,92,356** 14 54,864 100.00 29.66 63.03 33.37 NAG ALAND 1. Angami 43994 62555 97,408 9.46 42.19 55.72 13.53 2.Ao 74016 104578 1,65,893 16.11 41.29 58.60 17.31 3. Chakhesang 43438 60771 89,166 8.66 39.90 46.72 6.82 4. Chang 16075 22375 30,370 2.95 39.19 35.73 -3.46 5. Chirr 692 1560 2,067 0.20 125.43 32.50 -92.93 6. Khiemnungan 14338 18080 21,665 2.10 26.10 19.83 -6.27 7. Konyak 72319 83652 1,36,458 13.25 15.67 63.10 47.43 8. Lotha 36638 58030 82,586 8.02 58.39 42.32 -16.07 9. Makhori 2501 613 863 0.04 -75.49 40.78 116.27 10. Phom 18019 14427 65,339 6.35 -19.93 352.89 372.83 11. Rengma 8174 15313 32,368 3.14 87.34 lll.38 24.04 12. Sangtam 19315 29016 51,975 5.05 50.23 79.13 28.90 13. Serna 64918 95312 1,50,780 14.64 46.82 58.20 11.38 14. Tikhir 2800 3588 9,177 0.89 28.14 155.77 127.63 15. Yimchunger 14146 22054 35,461 3.44 55.90 60.79 4.89 16. Zeliang 13883 21085 36,012 3.50 51.88 70.79 18.92 17. Pochury 0 0 10,039 0.98 0.00 0.00 0.00 Naga(Not 0 7965 11,962 1.16 0.00 50.18 50.18 Classified) Total Nagas 4,45,266 6,20,974 1,029,589 100.00 39.46 65.80 26.34 MANIPUR I. Anal 6670 9349 10,642 3.19 40.16 13.83 -26.33 2.Angami 70 566 308 0.09 708.57 -45.58 -754.15 3. Chiru 2785 3674 6,032 1.81 31.92 64.18 32.26 4. Chothe 1905 1687 2,571 0.77 -11.44 52.40 63.84 5. Kabui 40257 26006 62,487 18.70 -35.40 140.28 175.68 6. Kacha Naga 13026 12754 33,640 10.07 -2.09 163.76 165.85 7. Koireng 458 948 873 0.26 106.99 -7.91 -114.90 8. Lamgang 2622 3452 4,031 1.21 31.66 16.77 -14.88 9.Mao 33379 50715 76,972 23.04 51.94 51.77 -0.16 10. Maram 4539 6544 9,592 2.87 44.17 46.58 2.40 11. Maring 9825 11910 15,698 4.70 21.22 31.81 10.58 12. Monsang_ 930 1139 1,803 0.54 22.47 58.30 35.82 1 'l lLA ....... ~ ...... - ,.,Ln ............ ..... ,..,... - -- -

I. Nocte 23165 19606 23,418 29.91 -15.36 19.44 34.81 2. Tangsa 6941 9896 I 9,682 12.36 42.57 -2.16 -44.74 3. Wancho 28650 32441 45,182 57.71 13.23 39.27 26.04 Total Nae:as 58756 61943 78282 100.00 5.42 26.38 20.95 ASSAM I

All Nae:as 8481 * 12,908 **Excluding Assam as no census was conducted m 1981. Source: Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner. 1971, 1981 and 1991. Special Tables for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, and Arunchal Pradesh,. New Delhi: Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner.

Sex Composition

Sex of the individual holds an important place in a demographic examination. Sex is a I

biological characteristic that divides ,human beings into male and female. The sex -

composition oflndia's population shows a shortage of females per 1000 males and this

shortage has aggravated over time. A favourable sex ratio to males and the declines in

the proportion of females in the population has been a matter of great concern and is

being viewed with serious concern by demographers and several women's organisation.

In 1991 population census, the sex ratio in India was 929 females per 1000 males. This i

has been continuously declining since 1921. Premi (1992) raises three questions in

respect of the sex ratio trends in India- (a) Have the living conditions of females,

particularly the access to medical facilities deteriorated during the 1980s as compared to

the 1970s? (b) Has the sex ratio at birth become more favourable to males in recent

years? and (c) Has there been a greater under-enumeration of females in the 1991 census

as compared to the 1981 census.

The sex ratio in Naga population exhibits the declining trends in the recent

decades (see table 3.3). In 1991 census, there are about 951 females per 1000 males

against 995 females per 1000 males in 1981. According to population reports, a

considerable shortage of female population has been indicated in the Naga society. Now

we shall examine the sex ratio in the state Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal.

70

In Nagaland State, there is drastic declined in female population during 1981-91. i

The table 3 shows that during the decade 1971-1991, the sex ratio declined in spite of I

slight gain in 1981. In 1981 there were 987 females per 1000 males, but it has come i

down to 94 7 females in 1991. Out of the total 17 Naga groups, nine groups are below the I

total Naga average. The highest sex ratio is recorded in Rengma Nagas (996 females per

1000 males population), this is closely followed by Angami (986 females) and Chirr

Nagas (984 females). The lowest sex ratio is observed in Chang Nagas and the sex ratio

is 922 females per 1000 males. All the Naga groups in Nagaland State exhibit a decline

of female population except Angami Naga that indicates a steady increase in female

population and the sex ratio is 974 females per 1000 males in 1981 and 986 females per

1000 males in 1991.

In Manipur, we also observed the same pattern of declining female population. In

spite of high sex ratio in the last two census years, that is, 1045 females per 1000 males

in 1971 and I 025 females per 1000 male in 1981, the 1991 population census registered

only 957 females per 1000 males. Among the various Naga groups in the state, five Naga

groups are below the total Naga average. The highest sex ratio is recorded in Koireng

Nagas (1109 females), Moyon Nagas (1098 females) and Anal Nagas (1034 females).

The lowest sex ratio is found in Maring Nagas (939) and Kacha Nagas (939) (exception

is Angami Nagas).

A slight increase in sex ratio among the Nagas of Arunachal Pradesh was

observed. The Wancho Nagas indicate a steady increase in female population in all three

censuses year. In 1991, it is recorded as 995 females per 1000 males. However, Nocte

Nagas and Tangsa Nagas experience a steady decline in sex ratio.

71

Most of the Naga groups in all three states experienced a high female population

in the year 1971. However, in the last decades there is a sharp decline in sex ratio. One

interesting observation is that, a high sex ratio is recorded among the smaller Naga

groups like Chirr, Rengma, Anal, Koireng and Moyon. The decline of female population

could be attributed to intra-marriage and female migration. Another possible reason

could be inadequate census enumeration in the region.

The data of fertility and mortality could not be analysed due to the lack of

information. Traditionally, in Naga society there is no case of female child

discrimination or show male favouritism. The fact is, the Naga family prefers the first

born to be a female baby.

For the Nagas, it is plausible that the deficit of females can be attributed to

incomplete enumeration at the time of census operations. Also this reason is related to

the nature of commitment of the enumerators and at the same time people hardly bother

about census enumeration due to lack of knowledge.

TABLE 3 3 S Raf . N . ex IOID a~a P I t" opu a Ion State/Naf!a Groups 1971 1981 1991 Total Nagas 995 995 951 Nagaland 976 987 947 I. Angami 973 974 986 2.Ao 1001 971 966 3. Chakhesang 958 922 928 4. Chang 1012 968 922 5. Chirr 1136 1026 984 6. Khiemnungan 912 941 932 7. Konyak 955 967 927 8. Lotha 1014 935 949 9. Makhori 980 1292 944 10. Phom 914 3724 858 11. Rengma 1033 920 996 12. Sangtam 972 951 953 13. Serna 988 972 968 14. Tikhir 939 987 969 15. Yimchunger 954 972 945 16. Zeliang 992 976 929 17. Pochury 0 0 941

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Manipur (Total Nagas) 1045 1025 957 1. Anal 1027 1031 1034 2. Angami 250 979 740 3. Chiru 1039 988 938 4. Chothe 1241 1008 958 5. Kabui 1057 987 977 6. Kacha Naga 1083 1009 939 7. Koireng 1009 896 1109 8. Lamgang 1088 975 963 9.Mao 1082 1048 948 10. Maram 884 1023 889 11. Maring 1004 1052 939 12. Monsang 1123 1052 928 13. M()yon 1183 890 1098 14. Serna 0 1000 586 15. Tangkhul 1020 1031 959 Arunachal (Total Nagas) 991 966 978 l. Nocte 1006 905 952 2. Tangsa 1051 1007 965 3. Wancho 965 955 995 Source: Same as table 3.2.

Rural-Urban Distribution

A distribution between rural and urban population is one of the essential demographic

features. The two differs in terms of economy, occupations, social and level of social

interaction. In the case of India, the definition of urban as given by Registrar-General

and Census Commissioner are based on certain socio-economic criteria. The population

census defined an urban place as:

(a) any place with a municipality, corporation, or cantonment or notified town area; or

(b) any other place which satisfied all the following criteria:

(i) a minimum population of 5000

(ii) at least 75% ofthe male working population in non-agricultural, and

(iii)a population density of at least 400 per square Km. (that is, 1000 persons per

square mile).

In Naga situation, rural area implies a village. A majority of the Naga population

· lives in the village. An average size of the Naga villages is about 50 to 300 households.

73

In 1991 population census nearly 89.4 per cent of the total Naga population lives in rural

areas.

In Nagaland, about 13.8 per cent of the Nagas live in urban areas as shown in

Table 3.4(a). There is an indication of steady increase of urban population in the last

three census years. Among the Naga groups, the. Lotha Nagas is found to have the

highest proportion of percentage living in urban areas and the proportion is 26.7 per cent.

This is followed by Angami Nagas (22.9 per cent), Ao Nagas (22.8 per cent), and Chang

Nagas (22.8 per cent). The Naga groups like Phom Nagas, Pochury Nagas and Makhori

are found to have a very small percentage living in the urban areas and their proportion

were 1.2 per cent, 1.2 per cent, and 3.1 per cent respectively. However, in the last two

decades all Naga groups in Nagaland has shown an increase in urban population.

The population of Naga living in urban and rural areas in Manipur State is given

in Table 3.4(b). As the table indicates, the Naga living in urban areas are very low. In i

spite of considerable proportion of 11.1 per cent in 1981, it further declined to 4.3 per

cent in 1991. However, the decline in 1991 census is because of de-classification of

some urban areas. In 1981 population census, the district headquarters of Senapati,

Tamenglong and Ukhrul are considered as urban areas but in 1991, these towns were

given rural status. These three district towns are predominantly contain the Naga

population.

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Naga population living in urban areas is very low with

only 2.50 per cent.

TABLE 3.4(a) Percent of Rural and Urban Pooulation in Na2aland State/Name of the Naga groups Population (in Per cent) Percentage of dec ada/

Growth Rate

NAG ALAND 1971 1981 1991 1971-1981 1981-1991 1. Angami Rural 87.67 82.93 81.35 25.65 34.54

Urban 14.06 20.59 22.92 49.21 41.2 2.Ao Rural 88.67 80.47 77.89 22.01 34.87

Urban 12.78 24.27 28.38 58.95 44.3 3. Chakhesang Rural 98.53 96.98 92.43 27.38 28.48

Urban 1.49 3.11 8.20 65.16 72.85 4. Chang Rural 99.58 89.41 81.40 19.99 19.07

Urban 0.42 11.84 22.85 97.13 58.06 5. Chirr Rural 100.00 99.74 96.18 55.53 21.73

Urban 0.00 0.26 3.97 100 94.94 6. Khiemnungan Rural 99.92 95.92 93.27 17.39 14.17

Urban 0.08 4.26 7.22 98.37 49.42 7. Konyak Rural 99.92 96.13 94.54 10.14 37.66

Urban 0.08 4.02 5.77 98.27 56.55 8. Lotha Rural 97.24 85.30 78.89 28.02 24.03

Urban 2.84 17.24 26.76 88.15 51.06 9. Makhori Rural 0.00 98.21 96.99 0 28.08

Urban 0.00 1.66 3.11 0 61.54 10. Phom Rural 99.92 97.72 98.81 -27.71 78.16

Urban 0.08 2.33 1.21 95.74 57.71 11. Rengma Rural 95.77 95.61 91.70 46.53 50.68

Urban 4.42 4.59 9.05 48.51 74.97 12. Sangtam Rural 98.89 94.64 93.18 30.44 43.3 ' Urban 1.13 5.67 7.32 86.18 56.09 13. Serna Rural 97.02 89.64 87.93 26.28 35.55

Urban 3.07 11.55 13.73 80.41 45.76 14. Tikhir Rural 100.00 98.75 94.60 20.97 59.19

Urban 0.00 1.27 5.71 100 90.93 15. Yimchunger Rural 99.58 92.87 90.92 31.23 36.47

Urban 0.43 7.68 9.99 96.18 51.2 16. Zeliang Rural 93.96 96.62 96.62 35.97 41.45

Urban 6.43 3.50 3.50 -17.67 41.51 17. Pochury Rural 0.00 0.00 98.73 0 0

Urban 0.00 0.00 1.28 0 0 Total Nagas in Nagaland Rural 95.73 89.90 87.86 23.64 38.29

Urban 4.46 11.24 13.81 69.7 49.8 Source: same as table 3.2

TABLE 3.4(b) Percent of Rural and Urban Population in Manipur and Arunachal State/Name of the Naga groups Population (in Per cent) Percentage of decadal

Growth Rate 1971 1981 1991 1971-1981 1981-1991

TOTALNAGAS Rural 95.15 90.61 89.42 19.01 37.85 Urban 4.84 9.38 10.57 40.54

MANIPUR I. Anal Rural 98.34 97.43 98.25 27.99 12.88

Urban 1.69 2.63 1.78 53.75 -29.03 2. Angami Rural 98.57 0 0 0 0

Urban 1.45 0 0 0 0 3. Chiru Rural 98.89 98.97 96.15 24.26 37.31

Urban 1.13 1.05 4.00 18.42 83.62 4. Chothe Rural 97.96 97.51 66.47 -14.04 3.74

Urban 2.08 2.55 50.44 7.14 95.13 5. Kabui Rural 89.89 79.94 87.30 -74.07 61.89

Urban 11.25 25.10 14.55 21.99 34.25 6. Kacha Naga Rural 99.94 97.86 99.56 -4.3 62.73

Urban 0.06 2.19 0.44 97.07 -84.46 7. Koireng Rural 80.35 84.81 91.52 54.23 -0.63

Urban 24.46 17.91 9.26 37.5 -94.59 8. Lamgang Rural 98.97 99.33 99.31 24.32 14.34

Urban 1.04 0.67 0.70 -17.39 17.86 9. Mao Rural 99.10 88.02 98.62 25.9 41.19

Urban 0.91 13.61 1.40 95.03 -469.79 . 10. Maram Rural 100.00 88.95 98.70 22.04 38.51

Urban 0.00 12.42 1.32 100 -478.4 11. Maring Rural 99.08 98.11 98.34 16.69 24.31

Urban 0.92 1.93 1.66 60 0 12. Monsang Rural 98.49 97.72 98.23 17.7 37.15

Urban 1.53 2.34 1.81 46.15 18.75 13.Moyon Rural 99.19 94.52 93.70 13.08 20.41

Urban 0.82 5.80 6.72 87.78 31.3 14. Serna Rural 0.00 58.33 86.49 0 85.42

Urban 0.00 71.43 15.63 0 33.33 15. Tangkhul Rural 98.19 90.40 97.37 20.49 46.11

Urban 1.85 10.62 2.70 86.17 -169.16 Total Naeas in Manipur Rural 96.68 89.99 95.80 9.89 41.11

Urban 3.43 11.12 4.39 72.16 -49.22 ARUNACHAL PRADESH 1. Nocte Rural 99.94 99.73 94.61 -18.39 11.74 .

Urban 0.06 0.27 5.70 71.15 95.88 2. Tangsa Rural 99.96 99.76 97.80 29.72 -4.26

Urban 0.04 0.24 2.25 87.5 88.73 3. Wancho Rural 100.00 99.94 99.04 11.63 27.55

Urban 0.00 0.06 0.97 100 95.38 Total Naeas in Arunachal Rural 99.97 99.85 97.56 5.03 19.02

Urban 0.03 0.16 2.50 81.25 94.97 Source: same as table 3.2

76

District-wise Distribution

Table 3.5(a) depicts the distribution of Naga population by district-wise in Nagaland

State. In 1991, there are seven districts in Nagaland state. The districts are Kohima,

Mokokchung, Man, Phek, Tuensang, Wokha and Zunheboto. Among the seven districts,

Zunheboto district records the highest concentration ofNaga population and a proportion

recorded is 97 per cent to district's total population. The other districts also recorded a

proportion more than 90 per cent to district's total population. But in Kohima district the

proportion is only 67.1 per cent.

In Kohima district, the dominant Naga groups are Angami (36.3 per cent), Serna

(17.5 per cent), Zeliang (13.7 per cent) and Rengma (12.2 per cent). A large number of

Ao Nagas is concentrated in Mokokchung district and the proportion recorded is 95.3 per

cent. InMon district, Konyak Nagas share 97.9 per cent. Similarly, in Wokha district the I

Lotha Nagas constitute of about 95.8 per cent whereas in Zunheboto district, Serna I

Nagas predoininant accounting for 98 per cent of the population. In Phek district, the

proportion is share 1 by two Naga groups, that is, Chakhesang Nagas (86.3 per cent) and I

Pochury Nagas (l 0 per cent). Lastly, five smaller Naga groups inhabit the Tuensang

district and the proportion are as follows: Phom (28.9 per cent), Sangtam (22.3 per ~ent),

Yimchunger (15.2 per cent), Chang (12.3 per cent), and Khiemungan (9.6 per cent)

respectively. The district territory nearly fit with the traditional territories of the various

Naga ethnic groups.

77

TABLE 3.5{a) Distribution of Naga Population by District-Wise in Nagaland, 1991 Percentaf{e Share ofNaga Population to the Total Naga Population

NagaGroups Kohima Mokokchunf{ Mon Phek Tuensang Wokha Zunheboto 1. Angami 36.31 0.09 0.03 2.20 0.05 0.53 0.07 2.Ao 8.40 95.34 0.89 0.27 1.18 0.38 0.24 3. Chakhesang 2.40 O.oi 0.05 86.37 0.04 0.04 0.28 4. Chang 0.16 1.79 0.01 O.oi 12.37 0.02 0.03 5. Chirr 0.02 0.04 !).00 0.00 0.88 0.00 O.oi 6. Khiemnungan 0.08 0.13 0.02 O.oi 9.61 O.oi 0.03 7. Konyak 0.17 0.07 97.96 0.19 0.45 0.04 0.02 8. Lotha 3.12 0.28 0.18 0.16 0.18 95.87 0.10 9. Makhori 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.35 0.04 0.02 10. Phom 0.21 0.45 0.12 0.00 28.99 0.03 0.03 11. Rengma 12.25 0.02 0.02 0.14 0.06 0.11 0.06 12. Sangtam 0.64 0.17 0.11 0.08 22.31 0.13 0.58 13. Serna 17.55 1.16 0.42 0.45 4.15 2.18 98.07 14. Tikhir 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.11 0.01 0.02 15. Yimchunger 0.59 0.03 O.Ql 0.05 15.22 O.oi 0.25 16.Zeliang 13.79 0.01 0.00 0.04 0.02 0.00 0.00 17. Pochury 0.06 0.00 0.19 10.02 0.01 0.01 O.Ql 18. Naga not 4.18 0.41 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.57 0.18 classified Naga population to 67.19 92.34 91.84 93.46 94.64 92.35 97.00

. district's total Source: Office of the Regtstrar General and Census Comrmss10ner. 1971, 1981 and 1991. Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, and Arunchal Pradesh. Special Tables for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. New Delhi: Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner.

Manipur state has eight districts namely, Senapati, Tamenglong, Chandel,

Ukhrul, Imphal, Churachandpur, Thoubal and Bishnupur. Out of total eight districts,

four districts, that is, Senapati, Tamenglong, Chandel, and Ukhrul are Nagas dominated

area. Table 3.5(b) shows the proportion share of Naga population to district's total

population. The highest Naga population to district's total is recorded in Ukhrul district

(82.9 per cent), followed by Tamenglong, Senapati, and Chandel and the proportion are

77.7 per cent, 54.5 per cent and 46.81 per cent respectively.

In Senapati district, Mao Nagas constitutes 65.9 per cent to total district's Naga

population and is followed by Kacha Nagas (8.47 per cent), Tangkhul Nagas (8.38 per

cent) and Maram Nagas (8.16 per cent). Kabui Nagas (that is Rongmei and Puimei

78

NAGA POPULATION, 1991 ARUNACHAL, ASSAM, NAGALAND AND MANIPUR

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PERCENTAGE OF NAGA POPULATION

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Nagas) and Kacha Nagas dominant Tamenglong district and the proportion are 62.2 per

cent and 35 per cent. This shows that the Kacha Naga groups are divided into two

districts, viz., Senapati and Tamenglong. In Ukhrul district, the population is exclusively

predominated by Tangkhul Nagas accounting for about 99.6 per cent. Also, Tangkhul

Naga population are found in the district of Senapati and Chandel too. The Chandel

district consists of several smaller Naga groups and proportional share among the groups

are 38.2 per cent to Maring Nagas and the other Naga groups share are Anal Nagas (29.7

per cent), Moyon Nagas (5.7 per cent), Chothe Nagas (4.7 per cent), Monsang Nagas

(4.2 per cent) and Tangkhul Nagas (3 per cent).

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Naga population is found in Tirap and Changlang

district. While in Assam, the Naga population is found in North Cachar district and

Karbi Anglong district of Assam albeit the proportion is very low.

From the above analysis, we found that Naga population are distributed

according to the ethnic territory and it is clearly definable of the various Naga ethnic

groups and traditional boundaries. However, some Naga groups are divided into two or

more districts and states. For instance, the contiguous homeland ofkacha Nagas and

kabui Nagas are divided into Tamenglong, Senapati and Churachandpur districts of

Manipur, Kohima district of Nagaland and North Cachar Hill district of Assam. The

decline in the proportion of Naga population in the districts could be attributed to the

presence ofnon-Nagas migrants.

TABLE 3.5(b) Distribution ofNaga Population by District, Manipur, 1991 Percentage Share of Population to the Total Naga Population

NagaGroups Senapati Tamenglong Chande/ Ukhrul Impha/ Churachandpur Thoubal Bishnupur

1. Anal 0.01 0.06 29.71 0.00 0.75 9.58 2.18 3.87 2. Angami 0.03 0.06 0.09 0.00 0.67 1.04 0.00 0.00 3.Chiru 2.69 1.88 0.05 O.oi 4.82 11.64 0.00 4.62 4. Chothe 0.00 0.04 4.79 0.00 2.45 0.83 2.57 21.54 5. Kabui 3.62 62.28 0.19 0.04 55.33 64.99 23.37 63.73 6. Kacha Naga 8.47 35.04 0.52 0.00 0.77 2.54 0.00 1.69 7. Koireng 0.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.37 0.17 0.00 0.00 8. Lamkang 0.02 0.00 11.87 0.00 0.11 0.19 0.99 1.31 9.Mao 65.96 0.00 1.12 0.10 6.29 1.04 2.08 0.00 10. Maram 8.16 0.00 0.40 0.02 0.69 0.02 0.00 0.00 11. Maring 1.95 0.00 38.21 0.17 0.96 0.77 33.96 2.12 12. Monsang 0.00 0.49 4.23 0.00 0.10 0.44 0.00 1.12 13.Moyon 0.01 0.00 5.79 0.00 0.53 0.35 0.00 0.00 14. Serna 0.02 0.00 0.04 0.02 0.06 0.69 0.00 0.00 15. Tangkhul 8.38 0.14 3.01 99.64 26.10 5.71 34.85 0.00 Naga Population 55.35 77.77 46.81 93.23 3.07 2.72 0.34 0.88 to District's Total Source: Same as table 3.5(a).

3.2 Summary

The above analysis is entirely based on the official data of Government of India. At the ;

same time in the absence of authentic information and reliable sources of data,

examination ofNaga population is very difficult. As per 1991 population census the total

Naga population recorded is 14,54,864 persons. Among the Nagas, the Ao Nagas

registered the largest groups followed by the Konyak, Tangkhul, and the smallest Naga

groups are Makhori, Koireng and Mongsang. In the decade 1981-1991, the Naga

population records a growth rate of 63.30 per cent which is much higher then the

previous one (29.66 per cent). The best known for the growth rate ofNaga population is

that the major or bigger groups contribute the most population in the total Naga

population.

The sex ratio exhibits a declining trend in the last decade. As per census report

there is considerable shortage of female population in the Naga society. However, this

80

report needs further examination and in-depth investigation. About rural and urban

distribution, a majority of the Naga population lives in the rural areas, that is, village. As

per 1991 population census about 90 per cent ofthe Naga lives in the village.

Each of the Naga ethnic groups are found in their respective district. For instance

the Ao Naga is found in Makokchung district, Semas in Zunheboto district and Tangkhul

in Ukhrul dsitrict.

Notes

1 Before examining the size and growth rate patterns of the Naga population, it is important to consider some aspects of census enumeration process followed by the GO I. The enumeration of India's population is based on extended de facto type wherein the enumeration is spread over a J'eriod of roughly three week (generally in the month of February). The enumeration for the 14 census was held from February 9 to 28, 2001. India's census is considered as world's largest census operations involving more than 5 Lakh workers.

2 This figure is purely based on the India Population Census' report.

81