Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: DTE
Context: Ao and Sümi Naga communities in Nagaland follow practices passed down through generations, preserving seeds from successful harvests for successive cycles.
- Traditionally agrarian, the Ao and Sümi Naga communities practise jhum or shifting cultivation
About Ao Naga Community:
The Aos, a major Naga ethnic group in Nagaland’s Mokokchung District, refer to themselves as Aoer, meaning “those who came” from across the Dikhu River. They were the first Nagas to embrace Christianity, incorporating Western education. The Moatsü Festival is observed in early May after sowing, and the Tsüngremong Festival, the community’s largest, is celebrated right after the harvest.
About Sumis:
The Sümis are a major Naga ethnic group inhabiting the territories of Zünheboto District, parts of Niuland District and Kiphire District in the Northeast Indian state of Nagaland.
They are recognised as a Scheduled Tribe (STs). The ancestral religion of the Sümis was the worship of nature. Sümis are 99% Christians. Very few of them still practice animism. Tülüni (July 8) is a festival of great significance for the Sümis.
