Lotha belongs to the central group of Naga languages of the Tibeto-Burman language family. In keeping with its location, they are native to Wokha district. It is also typologically between Ao and Angami sharing some features with each. The Lothas are also known as Kyongs. Those living on the North of the river Doyang are called Liye and those living on its southern side are called Näring.
The entire Wokha District with 1300 sq kms is essentially the area of Lothas. A little over 7 percent of the population among the Nagas is made up of this tribe and according to the 2011 census their population is estimated to be 1,79,467. The ISO Code for Lotha language is 639-3; njh.
There are seven dialects under Lotha language; Live, Tsontsu, Ndreng, Kyong, Kyo, Kyon, and Kyou.
The major clans of the tribe are:
- Ngully (2) Ezong (3) Odyuo (4) Kikon (5) Patton (6) Yanthan (7) Jami (8) Ovung (9) Tsopoe (10) Khuvung (11) Kithan (12) Humtso (13) Shitei (14) Merry (15) Mozhui (16) Lapong (17) Tsanglao.
The Tokhü Emong is the harvest festival of the Lotha Nagas. It is celebrated in the 1st month of November every year.
Reference
Sachdeva, Rajesh. (2001). Language Education in Nagaland: Sociolinguistics Dimensions. Regency Publications, New Delhi.
