Poumai Naga Tribe

About Poumai Naga Tribe:

• The Poumai Naga tribe is an indigenous ethnic group primarily residing in the Senapati district of Manipur and parts of Nagaland.
• About 95.7% of the total population of Poumai is in the Senapati district, Manipur. 
• It is one of the oldest and largest Naga tribes in Manipur. 
• The language that Poumai communicates is known as "POULA". 
• Christianity is the dominant religion in the Poumai Community.
• Their Pouli (Pottery) and Poutai (Pou salt) production was well known to the entire tribal areas in Manipur and Nagaland in ancient times.
• The main occupation of Poumai Naga is agriculture, and shifting cultivation is hardly practiced now in Poumai villages.
• Popular festivals:
  • Paonii, Donii, Laonii, Daonii, Rounii, Duhnii, Loukanii, Thounii, Khiinii, Taithounii, etc. 
  • Laonii is one of the important festivals celebrated in Poumai villages after the rice transplantation.

Q1: Who are Nagas?

Nagas are a hill people who are estimated to number about 2.5 million (1.8 million in Nagaland, 0.6 million in Manipur and 0.1 million in Arunachal states) and living in the remote and mountainous country between the Indian state of Assam and Burma. There are also Naga groups in Burma. Nagas are divided into sixteen main tribal groups, each with its own name and distinct language.

Source: Manipur’s Poumai Naga tribe bans hunting for wildlife conservation, enacts strict rules