The Dynamic of Religious Pluralism and Cultural Identity in Rongmei Naga (Kabui) Society

Abstract

The Rongmei Naga (Kabui) society stand at a crucial juncture of cultural negotiation between Rongmei Christian and Rongmei Indigenous Faiths (Kabui) on their cultural authenticity and legitimacy. This intricated dialectic on culture by both the community reflect religious pluralism and manifest a profound societal dynamism over cultural identity. Through comprehensive synthesizing of secondary material, the paper accentuates how religious pluralism precipitate cultural identity tension and identity crisis. And it argues this is not to be seen as destructive fragmentation but a process of cultural reconfiguration. Nevertheless, this cultural contestation within the communities of Rongmei Nagas (Kabui) should be mutually resolved through inter-faith dialogue, as cultural identity transcends religious demarcation and holistically belong to the collective consciousness of the society.