CUSTOMARY INSTITUTIONS AND COMMUNITY- BASED LAND MANAGEMENT: A STUDY OF LIANGMAI NAGA PRACTICES IN NORTH-EAST INDIA

Abstract

This study explores the vital role of customary institutions in the community-based management of land among the Liangmai Naga, an indigenous tribe of North-East India. Rooted in collective ownership, ancestral traditions, and indigenous ecological knowledge, Liangmai customary system regulates the use of land, forest, and water resources through the authority of the Chawang/Nampou (village chief) and village councils. This study emphasizes how traditional ecological knowledge and socio-cultural norms shape sustainable resource governance practices, particularly in the management of land, forests, and water. Drawing on historical accounts, ethnographic insights, the paper highlights how traditional institutions and social norms reinforce sustainable use and conservation. It also analyses contemporary challenges, strategies and its continuity. Overall, the study underscores the relevance of indigenous institutions in fostering ecological resilience and sustaining cultural identity in rapid changing socio-political landscape.