Incepted in the year 1970, the State Museum, Kohima covers an area of 11,822 sq.ft. The State Museum presents to any keen visitor, a glimpse into the rich cultural mosaic of the Nagas, which is unique even among the tribes of the northeast. It houses an invaluable collection of artefacts of different tribes showcasing the material culture and tradition of the Nagas.
There are eight galleries, viz: Open Air Display, Key gallery, Ethnological gallery, Painting gallery, Textile gallery, Indigenous bamboo wall gallery, Wooden sculpture gallery, Ornament and jewelry gallery. In 1997, the State Museum held a week long exhibition at the India International Centre, New Delhi, as part of the ‘Nagaland Festival’. Another week long exhibition entitled ‘Wood and metal effigies from Nagaland’ was also held at the Indian Museum, Kolkata in 2002. According to remarks recorded by visiting dignitaries and scholars, the State Museum is by far the best in the whole north east region.
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