Bombshell: Origin of the word Naga | Mark Legend Gangmei

Historically, the term 'Naga' refers to a group of half-naked tribal peoples residing in the mountainous regions of Northeast India and Myanmar. The appellation "Naga" was bestowed upon this group by inhabitants of the neighboring plains.

As early as 150 CE, the Greek scholar Claudius Ptolemy is said to have documented these tribals in his work 'Geographia,' designating their homeland as "Nagalogoi," signifying the 'realm of the naked.'

In instances where external parties coin names for different communities, it frequently takes on a derogatory connotation. A historical illustration of this is found in the encounter between the Romans and the barbarian Britons, whom they referred to as 'Picts' due to the Britons' practice of body painting.

Today, the Naga people agree that the term 'Naga' is an exonym. Originally, the Nagas did not call themselves by the name ‘Naga’. It was outsiders who gave the name ‘Naga’.

The Assamese term 'noga' translates to 'naked.' Consequently, it seems highly likely that the Assamese, as immediate neighbors, denoted the semi-clad warriors as 'noga,' connoting individuals who were not fully clothed.

According to Captain J Butler, the term ‘Naga’ is derived from the Bengali word ‘Nangla’ or the Hindustani word ‘Nanga’, meaning naked, crude and barbarous. And according to Dr. JH Hutton, it is derived from the Assamese word ‘Noga,‘ meaning naked.

Various interpretations and theories surrounding the term 'Naga,' including the recent suggestion that it originates from the Burmese word "Naka," denoting 'people with pierced earlobes,' serve as contemporary additions seeking to challenge the original meaning.

To accept one's ancestors were once naked may hurt one's pride. But knowing that all the people in the world, at one point in time, were once all naked may lighten the process of accepting the truth.