Assam, a semi-autonomous region of India, is a unique land with several ethnic groups. With borders on the north with Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet (Tibetan Autonomous Region of China), and the wilds of the Nagaland State (see note below) and Burma (Myanmar) on the north east, the cultures of the multitude of ethnic groups combine their own traditions with some more typical of other areas.
Some of the edged weapons of Assam are very unique, hard to identify and even more difficult to obtain. The region has been periodically off-limits to outside visitors due to unrest and this has made the gathering of first hand information quite difficult. The Kabui Naga Dao in my collection took two years to identify, stumping all of the experts with whom I consulted.
Nagaland has two meanings. It can refer to an area with undefined boundaries where the multiple Naga tribes are found. This area extends from the Manipur area of Assam into northern Burma. Nagaland can also refer to a formally defined area area that is a semi-autonomous region governed by India, a by-product of colonial rule by Great Britain. Negotiations between Nagaland and India regarding incorporation into India or independence have stretched from the date when Britain departed to the present, without resolution.
Read more about the Naga
