Politics and Social Connotations of Feasts of Merit Among the Poumai Nagas in Northeast India

Abstract

This article examines the politics of the megalith building tradition based on an ethnoarchaeological survey conducted in Liyai Khullen, an unexplored village inhabited by the Poumai Naga tribe in the Indian state of Manipur. I documented and mapped 554 stone monuments in and around the village, revealing a concentration in the habitation area and near footpaths leading to terraced fields. Additionally, I explored the stages of “feasts of merit” and the megalith building tradition through ethnography. Examining the tradition of feasting and building megaliths from the theoretical framework of “paleo-political ecology” reveals that sponsors of such costly undertakings received material benefits. These benefits include a larger share of meat and premium-quality rice beer in the feasts of others, the exclusive right to adorn homes with horns, the privilege of wearing status shawls, acquiring prestigious titles, and gaining more influence within the village. Based on the results, I argue that sponsors derived not only higher status but also material benefits within the traditional socio-political structure. The findings presented herein have archaeological implications for discussing megalithic remains among the Nagas and in Northeast India.