Social Memory and Naga Stone Monuments: Ethnoarchaeological Study on the Konyak Naga Monuments of Nagaland, Northeast India

Johannes Mueller1*, Tiatoshi Jamir2, Ditamulü Vasa2, Lizzie Scholtus1, Bruno Vindrola-Padros1, Shikharani Sabnis1, Limasanen Longkumer2, W. Wangjin3, and Honjem Konyak3

1Institute of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology, Kiel University, Germany; 2Nagaland University, India; 3Wangkhao Government College, India; *johannes.mueller@ufg.uni-kiel.de

Stone monuments through the ages were considered one of the most intriguing human innovations and a common medium through which social memories were inscribed and transmitted. While the tradition of building such monuments has faded into prehistory in most parts of the world, for the hill communities of Northeast India, such as the Nagas, such monuments were an integral part of the socio- political power and economy embedded with varied meanings until several decades ago, particularly in the Konyak areas of Nagaland. The Konyaks of northern parts of Nagaland are characterized by a societal feature that is highly stratified with heredity titles inherited through the Angh (chief) lineage. One of the prominent features of any Konyak village is the monument cluster known as ‘Saotong’ that are evident within the proximity of the Angh’s house and associated with head-taking ceremonies. These prominent locations which are formerly settlement markers are eventually transformed into a sacred space and communal identity through the performance of head-taking rituals and ceremonies. In mid-November 2025, with the local community support of Yannu village, a joint archaeological expedition was undertaken by Kiel University and Nagaland University Kohima Campus in an old deserted ancestral site not far from Yannu in Mon District, Nagaland. Central to this ethnoarchaeological study conducted by the joint team is the excavation of the ‘Saotong’ found on the highest elevation of the ancient settlement. The interplay of the local community’s oral history and the site archaeology aided in a better understanding of the agency and social milieu of these ritual monuments and their place in Konyak precolonial society.