"There are numerous references in the recorded history of Manipur of relations with the Naga tribes, of tributes being paid by Naga tribal chiefs. Nagas were regularly recruited in the army of the Manipuri kings. Many of the Naga tribes spoke Meitei, the language of the Meiteis. Many Naga villages had Manipuri names in addition to their own. Whenever a Manipuri visited a Naga village, he was treated as an honoured guest, at a time when a British subject could not venture into the interior without risk of being murdered. Many Naga villages paid annual tribute to the Manipuri kings."