ABSTRACT
Disputes or contestations are an integral part of human society. Disputes occur both internally and against the “other”. Disputes are dealt with in many ways in different societies and in different contexts. Across various indigenous political structures, dispute solving forms the primary source of authority and legitimacy of the chiefs. Amongst the Konyak Nagas, the Angh draws his authority and domination from his judicial powers. However, this authority of the Konyak Angh stands challenged by the state structure. The chapter zooms out to locate the various implications of dispute solving amongst the Konyak Nagas and zooms in to locate how an indigenous political structure coexists within a bureaucratic state structure.
