This editorial introduces a special issue of The Highlander Journal dedicated to Naga performing arts and oral traditions, reflecting a flourishing research focus at the Highland Institute. The articles engage with a range of ethnolinguistic and cultural practices, including the use of Poetic Mongsen in Ao Naga folk narratives, the intergenerational role of Zeme women in oral transmission, and the contemporary reimagining of Naga history through music and performance, such as in Moko Koza’s Boy from the Hills (2023). A literary review of Bashabi Fraser’s poetry collection Habitat extends the issue’s scope to include ecological concerns and diasporic perspectives. Collectively, these contributions highlight the intersections of Indigenous expressive forms, historical memory, gendered knowledge transmission, and environmental humanities.