Local Names : Nagaland

Ao and Sema Names

Ao 

Ø  Asian Elephant:                Shoti

Ø  Asiatic Black Bear:          Sheom (U)/ Shirem (L)

Ø  Assamese Macaque:         Shoje

Ø  Chinese Pangolin:            Kelap

Ø  Himalayan Brown Goral: Shok

Ø  Himalayan Rat:                 Chuha

Ø  Himalayan Striped Squirrel:Shekshang

Ø  Hoolock Gibbon:              Shinü

Each language is like a code that describes knowledge about medicinal secrets, ecological wisdom, weather and climate patterns, spiritual attitudes, and artistic and mythological histories. The Tulu language, for example, spoken by a little more than a million people preserves epic poems of the 13th century. The loss of its script then is akin to the loss of a key that could have been used to unlock a treasure trove of knowledge
Loss of Wisdom by Kaushik Das Gupta, Down to Earth

 Ø  Indian Wild Pig:               Pongzü

Ø  Lesser Bandicoot Rat:      Por

Ø  Malayan Giant Squirrel:   Shouk

Ø  Munjtac :                          Sheotsü (U)/Müsu (L)

Ø  Sambar:                            Sheitsü

Ø  Slow Loris:                       Sügkosongmen

Ø  Wild Dog:                         Shuirong (U)/ Shrung (L)

Ø  Yellow-throated Marten: Impok

Sema

Ø  Asiatic Black Bear:            Ava

Ø  Chinese Pangolin:              Ashupu

Ø  Common Leopard:             Angushu

Ø  Flying Squirrel:                  Alolo

Ø  Hoolock Gibbon:               Ashuai

What was the aim of the People’s Linguistic Survey of India?
I have always felt that Indians relate to languages very differently from people elsewhere in the world, so I wanted to know how communities across India perceive their languages. Primarily we wanted to find out how many living languages India has. We also wanted to see if language could be made into a fulcrum of micro-planning for development in diverse ecological and cultural contexts, especially among fragile coastal, island, forest and hill communities. . . .
‘We aretalking more using fewer words’ Chitra Padmanabhan

Ø  Indian Wild Pig:                Amini

Ø  Munjtac:                            Achuye

Ø  Otter:                                 Atsugho

Ø  Sambar:                             Akhu   

The Ao names were collated during a mapping exercise for a CCA – DGZ in Mokokchung that spanned Ungma and Longsa villages. U stands for Ungma and L for Longsa and are used in cases when they have separate names.

Sema names were collated during a recce trip to villages in Zunheboto. Many thanks to colleagues accompanying during the trips.

At Nagaland I have been able to invest much less time and efforts compared to Mizoram and Meghalaya  – though would be happy to make amends.