Nagas fancy eating snakes, rats, squirrels, dogs, cats, spiders!

The Nagas eat anything that moves. They do not even spare insects and worms. But what they relish most is the meat of wild animals. Warriors as they are by nature, the Nagas love hunting, and the meat of wild animals fills them with great delight.

Rice is their staple food, which is taken with meat. The meat is mostly pork, beef and chicken, but it can also be snakes, snails, rats, squirrels, dogs, cats, mithuns, buffaloes, deer, spiders, birds, crabs, monkeys, bee larvae, shrimps, red ants, and almost everything that is wild. Elephants included. No part of an animal is wasted — even blood, skin and intestines are eaten. Occasionally, however, they let the skin be, and use it to make shields.

“We have feasts throughout the year and no festivity is complete without meat. We rear pigs, dogs, cats, chickens and buffaloes but the meat of wild animals is always preferred,” says K Sangtam, a Naga elder. “Hunting is something the Nagas have practiced for ages and it’s a matter of pride for a hunter if he has the highest number of kills,” he adds.

There are 16 recognised tribes and a number of sub-tribes of Nagas in Nagaland. They also have a sizeable population in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and eastern Myanmar. Their food habits are different from those of other tribals in the Northeast — both in terms of the animals they eat, and the style of cooking. They smoke their meat at home over a kitchen fire and apply axone (fermented soya bean) to create a pungent aroma in the dishes. Some love their meat with anishi (a
preparation made of dried yam leaves).

‘Frog is like chicken’
Most meat dishes are boiled with suitable ingredients and spices. Frogs, bee larvae and insects are cooked till dry (with ginger, garlic and chilly). Snail is cooked with a lot of chillies. For dog meat, the best spices are ginger, Naga pepper and dried red chillies. Meat is also cooked with lettuce and spinach leaves. Chilly, mostly ‘bhut jolokia or Naga mircha’, and bamboo shoot are equally popular.

Not all species of dogs, frogs, snails, worms and insects are eaten. The Nagas say frog meat tastes like chicken. The

‘Wednesday Bazaar’ in Dimapur is very dear to these tribals for the array of animals, insects and worms sold here. A dog is sold (alive) for Rs500-Rs600. Frogs and (river) snails cost Rs200-Rs250 a kg. The river snails, which are very small in size, are cooked with ‘daal’ and sucked. The bazaar teems with customers every week. The sellers are mostly locals and they deal in local fruits, animals, insects, worms, vegetables, traditional utensils, garments, ornaments, handicraft items, etc. Nagas from all walks of life — some from remote areas — come here for shopping.

I remember once eating a pork dish at a friend’s place in Dimapur. He is a Sumi (tribe) Naga and an inspector in Nagaland police. The Sumis are known to cook the best smoked meat dishes with axone. So, one day he called me home for lunch. He told me he had slaughtered a pig. I had eaten pork before but had never had it with axone. Initially, I was a bit hesitant as I did not like the smell. It stank. But once I got over the smell, I relished the dish. The rice  I had with the meat was equally yummy.

Women can’t eat monkeys
On another trip to Dimapur, I got to taste a different pork dish at the residence of a journalist friend. It was cooked with spices and the blood of the animal. Honestly, I could not enjoy it as the thought that I was drinking (or rather, eating) blood made me uncomfortable. Generally, when an animal is slaughtered, the Nagas drain the blood into a big bowl, and use it in meat dishes once it turns cold. (The blood turns into a solid, paneer-like substance once it gets cold. It is then cut into pieces and used to prepare a curry.)

The Nagas have a taboo on consuming the meat of certain animals, as they fear the qualities of the creature will be transferred to the user. “We do not allow a woman to eat monkeys for we believe that will make her extravagant,” says Joseph Sumi, a professional. Despite the taboo, a lot of Naga women eat monkeys these days. Nagas, he says, do not allow a pregnant woman to eat bear meat since it is regarded a stupid animal. Sumi adds that tigers and leopards are also not eaten because of an old belief that man, tiger and spirit were all brothers at the beginning of creation.

The Nagas also believe that the meat of wild animals, insects and worms can cure a number of diseases. “The meat of a type of kingfisher, which we call stone bird, is very dear to us. The bird eats stones and there is a traditional belief that its meat is a panacea for renal diseases,” says Francis Lotha, a university student, adding, “Frog, snails and bee larvae are eaten when one is injured (believed to quicken the healing of skin and bones), local chickens and legs of pigs are eaten during pregnancy, and dog meat is believed to be a cure for pneumonia."

Eric Angami, a scribe, claims monkey meat gives one quick relief from extreme physical weakness or lethargy. “Believe me, it enlivens you,” he insists.

“The marrows of stags and wild goats are believed to heal fractured bones faster, and an earthworm is taken to neutralise the venom of a snake bite,” says P Shimray, a lover of monkey meat. He adds, “Once my mother was bitten by a poisonous snake. She was writhing in pain. But she recovered within half an hour after being administered a fluid full of earthworms.”

James Angami, a teacher, says the elders encourage the youth to eat snakes in the belief that it makes them immune to the reptile’s venom. “Our food habits haven’t changed much over the years. We love meat as much as our forefathers did. The only difference is that we’ve learnt to use spices,” says Roland Ao, who has a weakness for snails. So would he love to eat the meat of a rhino? “Oh yes,” he smiles. “But sadly we don’t get it here.”
   

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