• Limajungla Jamir

The Aos are a major tribe of the state of Nagaland, a state in the North-eastern part of India. Mokokchung, one of the districts in the state, is the home and headquarter of the Ao-Naga tribe. Moatsü mong and Tsüngrem mong festivals are the two major festivals of the Ao-Naga. ‘In a culture where the very principle of life and society are encoded in the spoken word, language becomes the communicator, prescriber and preserver of tradition. In the Ao-Naga context, language has played such a role by enshrining in the oral mode, the ethos and culture of the people’ (T.Ao, 2012, p.168). Animal imagery abounds in Ao-Naga aphorisms through which valuable knowledge, culture and traditions of the people are preserved. They serve as a mirror to the society. Animal imagery is used to show the relationship between humans and animals. It enriches the observation and understanding of humans by using animal imagery. The thrust of this paper, therefore, is to identify some of the animal imageries which are dominant in the aphorisms of the Ao-Naga tribe of Nagaland in the North-Eastern part of India, explain their meanings and their implications as social facts in the society.

Ao-Naga, aphorisms, animal imagery

"Animal Imagery in Ao-Naga Aphorisms", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.9, Issue 12, page no.d515-d518, December-2022, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2212369.pdf

"Animal Imagery in Ao-Naga Aphorisms", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.9, Issue 12, page no. ppd515-d518, December-2022, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2212369.pdf