Walking the Roadless Road (Exploring The Tribes of Nagaland)

Walking the Roadless Road: Exploring the Tribes of Nagaland is a comprehensive history of the Naga tribes who live within the borders of Nagaland. Kire begins with an overview of migration narratives—both mythical and historical—of the various tribes, starting in the nineteenth century. She then delves deep into the origins of the Nagas, their early history as forest-dwellers, how the discrete Naga territories were formed, the written and unwritten history of the villages, the various struggles that have convulsed Naga society down the ages, as well as the sweeping changes that have transformed the community in the twenty-first century.

The book is divided into four sections. An Overview of Nagaland' details the origins and history of the various tribes; it also gives an overview of the society and culture of the Naga tribes. `Christianity and the Naga Society' is an analysis of the community before and after the coming of the Baptist Christian missionaries. 'From British Colonization to Statehood' delves into the history of the two world wars and the troubled political relationship between India and the underground Naga leaders. 'Turning Points in Naga History' features key moments in Naga history and also gives us a picture of the Nagas in the twenty-first century.

Drawing on oral narratives and current scholarship, Walking the Roadless Road is an engrossing account of one of the country's most distinctive communities.

EASTERINE KIRE iS a poet, short story writer, and novelist from Nagaland. She wrote A Naga Village Remembered in 2003—the first Naga novel in English. In 2013, she was awarded the 'Free Word' Prize by Catalan PEN, Barcelona. Her novel, When the River Sleeps, won the Hindu Prize for Best Fiction, 2015. Her latest novel, Son of the Thundercloud, was awarded the Tata Book of the Year Award, 2017, and the Bal Sahitya Puraskar, 2018. Kire has a PhD in English Literature from the University of Poona.