The Rengma Naga are a Naga tribe found in Nagaland and Assam, India. They are one of the largest tribe’s of the Naga, currently numbering around 56,000 people. It is generally accepted that the Rengma’s ancestors migrated from China during the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C). They are traditionally known as brave, champion warriors. The traditional Rengma clothing consists of various types of clothes, which are indicative of the status and position of the weavers. A man who has not been able to offer a great feast, or has never killed an enemy, may wear an ordinary type of cloth called rhikho. Rhikho is a white cloth with four narrow black bands. The number of black bands varies with the age of the wearer. Moyet tsu is another ordinary type of cloth, worn by the young men. It is a dark blue cloth with a very broad median band, and embroidered with a thin zigzag pattern in red at the edges. Alungtsu is a cloth for well-to-do men, who have not yet offered a great feast. Teri Phiketsu is a shawl, which requires the wearer to perform the head hunting ceremony. Rengma’s claim that they are native aborigines of the Karbi-Anglong in Assam. In recent times, Rengma militant factions have been created in retaliation to Indian government policies which affect local interests and unity among the different Naga tribes.
