The Mao Naga Youth Dormitories A Traditional Educational System

Abstract

The traditional “youth dormitories” popularly called “Morung” among the Naga ethnic tribes of North-East India, has aroused the interest of not only the anthropologists but also the educators with greater intensity today. The article examines the traditional system of education imparted through the common dormitory system among the Mao Naga tribe known as Khruchozü (Bachelors’ dormitory) and Lochozü (Virgins’ dormitory). Amazingly this institution imparts an integral formation to the youth through simple but potential dynamics of a tribal community. It slowly gave way to new structures with the advent of the Christian missionaries and the introduction of the modern educational system. A re-discovery of the traditional cultural values has become a contemporary need in search of dynamics for youth formation now and in the years to come.