The Tetseo Sisters

Genre: 

Traditional songs from Nagaland

The Tetseo Sisters Mütsevelü (Mercy), Azine (Azi), Kuvelü (Kuku) and Alüne (Lulu) grew up in Kohima, the capital of Nagaland, and belong to the Chakhesang Naga tribe, one of the major Naga tribes. They sing in Chokri, the dialect of the region around Phek.[2] From early days, their parents acquainted the girls with Li, the traditional songs of their home region. They first performed as a group in 1994 and have been making regular appearances since 2000 at the Hornbill festival, Nagaland's biggest annual cultural event, and at several other festivals and events. Growing popularity made them enlarge their radius, performing all over Nagaland, the Seven Sister States, and other Indian states. During Mercy and Azi's period of study, they made numerous appearances as a duo in New Delhi; while Kuku and Lulu carried on in Kohima. The Tetseo Sisters, seasoned folk artists from Kohima, have been attributed to starting the folk fusion movement in the state. The sisters are regularly invited to show their art on the occasion of official promotions as Nagaland's cultural ambassadors/representatives both at home and abroad. Some notable appearances include- the North East Trade Opportunities Summit in Bangkok, Thailand in 2008 and the Handshake Concerts in Bangkok in 2012, Yangon, Myanmar in 2014,[3] Kunming, Yunnan, PRC in November 2015,[4] Gwangju, Korea in September 2016,[5] Queen Baton's Rally for the Commonwealth Games 2010 at Touphema, Nagaland and HRH Prince Andrew's visit to Kohima commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II on 1 May 2012. In August 2014 Mercy and Kuvelü Tetseo were part of a 50 head strong Naga song-and-dance-troupe that performed at the 24 shows of the Royal Military Tattoo in Edinburgh and 3 additional events at other places in Scotland.[6][7] In October 2014 Mercy, Kuvelü, Lulu and their brother Mhaseve belonged to the entourage of the Governor of Nagaland and Tripura P. B. Acharya on a visit to the United States. Concerts took place in Chicago, Bloomington (IL) and Detroit.[8]In 2012, they received the Trail Blazer Award at the 4th Nagaland Music Awards by Native Trax, along with Alobo Naga. In early 2014, they received the Eastern Panorama's Achievers Award for excellence in Music at Shillong.[9]