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Jul-Sep (2025) | Vol.3 No.3

Traditional Ecological Wisdom and Material Culture of the Poumai Nagas

Taveinii TM ORCID

Ph.D Research Scholar, Department of History and Archaeology, Nagaland University, Kohima, Nagaland.

Jangkhomang Guite ORCID

Professor, Department of History and Archaeology, Nagaland University, Kohima, Nagaland

This paper explores the intricate relationship between ecology, culture, and technology among the Poumai Nagas of Manipur and Nagaland. Drawing from secondary sources and interpretive analysis, it examines how traditional knowledge systems reflect a profound ecological philosophy that guides agriculture, architecture, and material culture. For the Poumai community, nature is not merely a resource but a moral and spiritual teacher that shapes their worldview and social organization. Their indigenous technologies rooted in the use of bamboo, wood, and natural fibers demonstrate sustainable practices that predate modern environmental science. Each crafted object carries both functional and symbolic meaning, preserving stories of ancestry, landscape, and community ethics. The study also investigates how modernization and globalization have transformed, yet not erased, these ecological values. By adapting ancestral principles to contemporary realities, the Poumai people illustrate cultural resilience and ecological adaptability. The paper situates Poumai ecological wisdom within broader debates on sustainability, showing that indigenous systems offer viable models for addressing present-day environmental challenges. Ultimately, it affirms that the Poumai worldview embodies a living tradition of sustainability—where culture and environment coexist in continual dialogue.
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Keywords
Poumai Nagas indigenous technology ecological knowledge material culture sustainability cultural resilience
Cite this Article
TM, T., Guite, J. (2025). Traditional Ecological Wisdom and Material Culture of the Poumai Nagas. Historical Research: Journal of History and Archaeology, 3(3), 7–11.
TM, T.; Guite, J. "Traditional Ecological Wisdom and Material Culture of the Poumai Nagas." Historical Research: Journal of History and Archaeology, vol. 3, no. 3, 2025, pp. 7–11.
TM, T.; Guite, J. "Traditional Ecological Wisdom and Material Culture of the Poumai Nagas." Historical Research: Journal of History and Archaeology 3, no. 3 (2025): 7–11.
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