Indigenous communities view death as a natural part of life[1]. Death is a universal human experience, but its perception and interpretation vary across different cultures, leading to unique death rituals worldwide. The Konyak Nagas are one such culture that has distinct funeral rites and rituals for every death, whether natural or unnatural. Death rituals serve as collective rituals aiding grieving families in coping with profound loss, not just bidding farewell to the departing soul. In this paper, we attempt to explore the changes in afterlife beliefs, death rites, and rituals that have occurred among the Konyak Nagas after the advent of Christianity. The paper examines the apparent conflict between traditional and modern death rituals in a systematic manner. To collect narratives about afterlife, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted among tribal elders from three villages in the Mon district of Nagaland using convenience and snowball sampling methods. The narratives collected from the tribal elders were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach, drawing on Van Gennep’s concept of rites-de-passage and the sociological perspective on death put forth by Emile Durkheim. By delving into these theoretical frameworks, this paper aims to explore their interplay and shed light on the significance of death in Konyak Nagas. It highlights that death is a social event that is often marked by rituals and explores how it can be a transformative experience for an individual. Konyaks perform diverse rituals from the deathbed to the following year. Some traditional practices have shifted to contemporary death rituals, but grave offerings persist.
[1] Hampton M. Baydala A. Bourassa C. McKay-McNabb K. Placsko C. Goodwill K. , … Boekelder R. (2010). Completing the circle: Elders speak about end-of-life care with aboriginal families in Canada. Journal of Palliative Care, 26, 6–14.
