The smoking pipe-a primeval contraption of smoking that bears significant cultural and social meaning for the Kacha Naga tribe, which is classified as an indigenous tribe primarily residing in Nagaland and parts of Myanmar-may, in its smoking functionality, be but a crude reflection of village craftsmanship and resourcefulness. The lower half of the receptacle being broken allows the smoking pipe to be applied for inhaling smoke.
The smoking pipe of the Kacha Naga tribe is used in ceremonies and friendly interactions amid many tales and traditions with a warrior background. The tribe has many reasons to indulge in smoking-medicine, telling of tales, inter-tribal bonding, etc. The tribe has got fair knowledge of the plants used to make the smoking pipe-the, earthenware, and bamboo-which they collected in their traditional way sustainably.
The smoking pipe is more than a functional object; it also represents a heritage and identity for the Kacha Nagas. Although newer ways of smoking have come into existence, the smoking pipe is a living memory of the ancestral traditions and craftsmanship of the Kacha Nagas.