The Children of Kohima


Young children in Kohima

The population of Nagaland is entirely tribal, the Nagas belong to the Indo-Mongoloid  family. The name 'Naga' was given to the hill tribes by the plains people. This naming proved to be a great unifying force to the tribes now classified as Naga.

Children at Baptist High

Naga children grow to sub-medium height, their hair is generally straight, their skin brownish-yellow and significantly, but their eyes do not show Mongolian form.

The hill tribes in Nagaland have no generic term applicable to the whole race.

A striking characteristic of the Naga tribes people is their hospitality and cheerfulness. To be greeted with a smiling face while traveling on the roads is a common experience. A visitor to a Naga village is heartily received with a warm welcome.

Kohima School Children Visit the UK

Pfelie Kesiezie, Headmaster of the Baptist High School in Kohima and Chairman of the Trust's Advisory Committee there, led six Kohima high school students on a visit to the UK during the summer of 2005. Sylvia May and her husband Robert, who have visited Kohima several times, hosted the party in the tiny Oxfordshire village of East Hendred.

Ptelie Kesiezie and his young charges in the garden at East Hendred, Oxfordshire UK

Naga visitors at the beach on the Isle of Wight, 2005

The visitors, wearing the national dress representing five different tribes (there are up to twenty tribes in Nagaland), made a presentation to the East Hendred Primary School, singing songs and reciting poems in different tribal languages.

This presentation was repeated on a visit to Fulford High School in York, where Dave Moores, Deputy Headmaster, gave a tour of the school, and his School Council gave a presentation to the visitors about life in York.

Twinning Fulford High School with a school in Kohima was discussed.

Naga children visit Fulford High students in York, 2005

In York the party also visited the Minster and the Kohima Museum, where Nigel Magrane, Curator, captivated his audience with the story of the Battle of Kohima.

Sightseeing expeditions included a tour of London, a visit to the Isle of Wight, where the visitors saw the sea for the first time in their lives. Chris May, Robert's mother, laid on a beach picnic.

The expedition was not only an exciting adventure for the young people, but a first step in building a cultural bridge between Britain and Nagaland – which is part of the Trust's mission.