Cultural knowledge integration and indigenous knowledge systems: Insights from the mao naga of manipur

This paper explores the Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) of the Mao Naga community of Manipur and their potential to inform contemporary frameworks of education, governance, justice, and sustainable development. It argues that Mao indigenous knowledge constitutes a living, holistic cultural system where ethics, ecology, spirituality, economy, and social order are interwoven through family, clan, and village institutions. By examining domains such as customary law, gender relations, ecology, material culture, and ritual morality, the study demonstrates how these social institutions operate as dynamic sites of learning, justice, and moral pedagogy. The paper outlines practical pathways for integrating IKS into formal education through institutional collaboration, experiential learning, and the incorporation of material and legal traditions, while critically addressing ethical tensions surrounding gender, rights, and cultural authenticity. It concludes that meaningful integration requires a dialogic framework that recognises indigenous communities as epistemic partners capable of reshaping modern educational and policy paradigms, thereby contributing to more inclusive and context-sensitive models of knowledge production and social development.