Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...

is a state located in

North-East India , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

, bound by

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

in the East;

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

in the West;

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares ...

and a part of Assam in the North with

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of ...

in the south. It is renowned for its rich cultural heritage. The State is inhabited by 16 major tribes along with other sub-tribes. Each tribe is distinct in character in terms of customs, language and dress. It is a land of folklore passed down the generations through word of mouth. Here, music is an integral part of life. One can listen to most of fine tuned songs and music organically produced in Nagaland o
indihut
and HIYOMUSIC Mobile App; the only music streaming app found in the state.

Folk music

The oral tradition is kept alive from the media of folk tales and songs. Naga folk songs are both romantic and historical, with songs narrating entire stories of famous ancestors and incidents. There are also seasonal songs which describe various activities done in a particular agricultural season. The themes of the folk music and songs are many; songs eulogizing ancestors, the brave deeds of warriors and traditional heroes; and poetic love songs immortalizing ancient tragic love stories.

Indigenous instruments

There are several rhythmic instruments that aptly accompany the Nagaland music. The area's

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

is dominated by string instruments like the '' Tati'' (single string fiddle) and ''Theku'' among the Chakhesangs and

Angami Naga The Angamis are a major Naga ethnic group native to the Northeast Indian state of Nagaland. The Angami Nagas are predominantly settled in Kohima District, Chümoukedima District and Dimapur District of Nagaland and are also recognized as one ...

s, ''Asem'' (drum with animal skin masked upon carved wood) and ''Jemji'' (

Horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

made using mithun

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

). Indigenous musical instruments extensively used by the people are bamboo mouth organs, cup violins, bamboo flutes, trumpets, drums made of cattle skin, and log drums. Each tribe has unique traditional instruments influenced by their customs and materials available.

Modern music

Two distinct genres of music exist in Nagaland: * the choral/church/Christian type commonly known as gospel music and * the rock/pop genre commonly known as secular music. Both types have their own distinct platforms, but their audience is by and large the same. In Nagaland, the platform for

choral music A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...

is created by the church during conferences and crusades (special numbers, praise and worship etc.). Exclusive gospel concerts are also initiated by local churches, theological institutions or concerned individuals. Naga Choirs travel not only to places outside the state but also to foreign countries in order to perform for various world audiences. Many Naga musicians adopt traditional and folk tunes to lend a distinctive individuality to their music. Two prominent groups adopting traditional folk tunes into their music are: The Tetseo Sisters and Cultural Vibrants. Tribal tunes have also been incorporated into choral pieces and sung by many church choirs. The rock/pop genre, platforms in terms of concerts and rock festivals are created generally by the concerned music fraternity themselves. The state has produced Internationally acclaimed Bands like "Abiogenesis" and "

Alobo Naga Alobo Achümi (born 6 May 1984), known professionally as Alobo Naga, is an Indian singer and songwriter from Nagaland. He rose to fame with his debut album, ''Road of a Thousand Dreams''. He has hosted his talk show, ''The Alobo Naga Show,'' sinc ...

& the Band". The latter has been nominated for the MTV Europe Music Awards 2012 for their hit debut single Painted Dreams. This song has been ranked fourth at ''Cherokee America (India) presents VH1 Top 10 (for the week)'' on 17 September competing with artists like Maroon 5, Lady Gaga and Jay-Z etc. There are several long-running modern bands, such as The Great Society, Phynyx, Graffiti, Squadron and the 4th NAP Jazz Band, the official band of the Battalion of Nagaland Armed Police. Some notable present day bands are- Black Rose, Divine Connection (DC), Eximious, Original Fire Factor (OFF), Diatribe and Daughty Growthy.

Music as a subject

Realizing the importance of music in Nagaland and the interest shown by the Naga youngsters, the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) introduced music as a subject in the

High School A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and

Higher Secondary The Higher Secondary School Certificate is a secondary qualification in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Higher Secondary Education The Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education in Bangladesh recognises "Higher Secondary Education" und ...

curriculum recently.

Task Force For Music & Arts

The Task Force For Music & Arts of Nagaland is a recent phenomenon. It was created by the Government to encourage Naga musicians to take up music as a profession rather than a hobby. Music is an integral part of the life of the Nagas and is now being developed as an industry that generates employment.Dr. Niky Kire talks of Nagaland music industry

Hornbill National Rock Contest

The Government, and most specifically with the initiative of

Member Of Legislative Assembly A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. ...

, Shri. Neiphiu Rio, started the Hornbill National Rock Contest which is an integral event of the Hornbill Festival. The Hornbill National Rock Contest, as the name suggests, is a National-level contest and boasts of being the longest music festival in the country, it being a seven-day-long festival. Attractive cash prizes and music educated/music loving crowd makes the Hornbill National Rock Contest/Festival a unique experience for performers. The winning prize of 10,00,000 (10 lakh of

rupees Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...

) is considered to be one of the highest in the country.

References

External links

Hornbill National Rock Contest

Music Video Awards of Nagaland

Rattle n' Hum Music Society
{{Nagaland

Culture of Nagaland