History

According to the Yimchunger tradition, the tribe emerged at a village called Moru, and then came to the Jure village. The Yimchungers and the Khiamungans are believed to have migrated to the present-day Nagaland from Upper Burma

Upper Burma

Upper Burma refers to a geographic region of Burma , traditionally encompassing Mandalay and its periphery , or more broadly speaking, Kachin and Shan States....

 as one group, in one wave. They separated into two groups at the Moru village.

Culture

The musical instruments of the Yimchungers include simple log drums, trumpets and flutes, similar to that of the Angamis.

The traditional dress of the Yimchungers includes colorful cane

Cane

Cane are either of two genera of tall, perennial grasses with flexible, woody stalks from the family Poaceae that grow throughout the world in wet soils. They are related to and may include species of bamboo. The genus Arundo is native from the Mediterranean region to the Far East. Arundinaria...

-made headgear decorated with hair and bird feathers.

Metemneo festival

Metemneo is the traditional 5-day harvest festival of the Yimchunger tribe. It is celebrated after the millet

Millet

The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...

 crop is harvested, usually in the second week of August.

The ceremonies are inaugurated by the village elder khiungpu. The five-day festivals include:

Day	Ceremony	Description
1	Sito	Communal cleaning of the village, repair of village roads
2	Shito	Repair of the paths leading to the fields, clearing up of intrusive landslides
3	Zhimto	Repair of inter-village roads
4	Chiresco	Cleaning of water points and springs
5	Siresok	Cleaning and worship of agricultural tools

The tribals also pray for the souls of the decesased, invite friends to home and exchange gifts. The festival is also marked by the engagements between the young tribals.