ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns the changes and continuities in the systems of distribution used by Naga artisans from the 18th century until today. It is based on field work carried out in the Khiamniungan villages of Choklongan and Wei, near the Myanmar border, and in the Angami village Khonoma, in Kohima district, which have over time become hot spots in both traditional and commercial Naga art.
It firstly describes traditional marketing practices in the 18th century; Naga tribes exchanged women for marriage, contracted friendship treaties, and carried out trade in textiles; ornaments and weapons for ritual usages. Details about the traditional objects of exchange are illustrated by photos provided by the Weltmuseum in Vienna. The expansion of the British into the Naga territory and the introduction of roads and coins led to expansion of Naga art trade.
Today Naga handicrafts are traded through several channels. But the opening of Naga markets to the global economy and more importantly the takeover of the production and trade by state agencies challenged the Naga art market, in particular its production, and the artisans’ lives standards and creativity.
