Hidden Earth 2023

Nagaland caving expedition 2022-2023

45 minute Film|Dan Harries

Abstract

Nagaland is a state in northeast India on the border with Myanmar. The terrain is rugged, steep and densely forested. From the 19th of December 2022 to the 6th of January 2023 a multinational team of cavers visited an area in the east of the state with the aim of exploring and documenting the local caves. To our knowledge, this represents the first attempt to systematically map Nagaland caves. Although the surface terrain posed significant challenges for access, a total of 33 caves were documented and mapped. None were particularly extensive and consisted of dry, inactive fossil passages. Nevertheless, the caves were of distinct cultural, archaeological and biological interest. The caves are under specific ownership of local tribal clans. The dense bat colonies of the caves are viewed as a food resource and are periodically harvested. Prior to the arrival of Christian missions, some caves were used as ancestral burial sites and show evidence of differing burial traditions. The bat colonies are associated with abundant communities of invertebrates and troglobitic cockroaches appear widespread. This presentation will give an overview of the findings of this expedition and will include a 30-minute film documenting the search for caves.