SHANGSHAK, India -- When someone asked the captain of independent India's first national soccer team why they all played barefoot at the London Olympics in 1948, he is said to have answered: "We play football in India. Whereas you play bootball."
The captain of the team, Talimeren Ao, was a Naga, a group native to India's northeastern frontier where most people trace their roots to Myanmar or China. Decades later, his words still ring true.
In Naga villages, children playing soccer barefoot is a common sight. Sometimes balls are made from pig bladders or rag-stuffed pomelos. And when the matches are played, the entire village turns up to show support. Parents carry infants on their shoulders. Young boys make bonfires to keep spectators warm.
The story is no different in Shangshak, home to the Tangkhul Nagas, where two neighboring villages played a match on a recent Saturday.
The match was just a friendly -- neither village has a formal soccer club -- and rather than soccer drills most of the home team's players spent their morning helping paint a fellow villager's house, a common practice in a community where the culture of helping neighbors remains deeply ingrained.
In India, cricket is the only sport that matters. Like Bollywood, it is one of the few things that knits together a disparate nation of nearly 1.4 billion. But the fervor for soccer is felt deeply in India's northeastern states.
The region with a little over 3% of India's population is home to almost one-fifth of the national soccer team.
In a largely Hindu country, most Nagas are Christians. They're ethnically distinct from most of India, and for decades, Naga insurgent groups have been waging a fight for independence.
Most Naga villages are perched on mountaintops, originally built long ago to spot approaching enemies when the region was little more than a forest. But on nearly every hilltop, a soccer pitch springs to life.
"We learn to play the game from the time we start walking," said A.S. Ngayaomi, 20, who was a substitute in Saturday's match.
![Tangkhul Naga children watch a friendly football match between villages in Shangshak, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. Most young boys play soccer in Naga villages. And when matches are played, the village turns up to show support - the elderly squinting, parents carrying infants, young boys making bonfires to keep spectators warm. More important than the victory is the joy of getting together. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)]()
Tangkhul Naga children watch a friendly football match between villages in Shangshak, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. Most young boys play soccer in Naga villages. And when matches are played, the village turns up to show support - the elderly squinting, parents carrying infants, young boys making bonfires to keep spectators warm. More important than the victory is the joy of getting together. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)
![Tangkhul Naga villagers watch a friendly football match with a neighbouring village in Shangshak, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. In most of India, cricket is the only sport that matters. But for the Nagas, it is soccer. The region is ethnically distinct from everywhere else, and plagued by a decades-long fight for independence. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)]()
Tangkhul Naga villagers watch a friendly football match with a neighbouring village in Shangshak, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. In most of India, cricket is the only sport that matters. But for the Nagas, it is soccer. The region is ethnically distinct from everywhere else, and plagued by a decades-long fight for independence. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)
![A pair of football boots lie next to a change of clothes by the side of a football field where a friendly match is in progress, in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. Most young boys play soccer in these Tangkhul Naga villages. And when matches are played, the village turns up to show support - the elderly squinting, parents carrying infants, young boys making bonfires to keep spectators warm. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)]()
A pair of football boots lie next to a change of clothes by the side of a football field where a friendly match is in progress, in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. Most young boys play soccer in these Tangkhul Naga villages. And when matches are played, the village turns up to show support - the elderly squinting, parents carrying infants, young boys making bonfires to keep spectators warm. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)
![The goalkeeper reaches for the ball during a friendly soccer match between villages in Shangshak, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. Everyone who can play can get chosen for a match. The team from Shangshak village was herded together hurriedly in a day's notice. Most spent the hours before the match painting a house, a common practice in the community where the culture of helping hands remains deeply ingrained. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)]()
The goalkeeper reaches for the ball during a friendly soccer match between villages in Shangshak, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. Everyone who can play can get chosen for a match. The team from Shangshak village was herded together hurriedly in a day's notice. Most spent the hours before the match painting a house, a common practice in the community where the culture of helping hands remains deeply ingrained. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)
![Tangkhul Naga girls watch a friendly football match between villages in Shangshak, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. In most of India, cricket is the only sport that matters. But for the Nagas, it is soccer. The region is ethnically distinct from everywhere else, and plagued by a decades-long fight for independence. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)]()
Tangkhul Naga girls watch a friendly football match between villages in Shangshak, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. In most of India, cricket is the only sport that matters. But for the Nagas, it is soccer. The region is ethnically distinct from everywhere else, and plagued by a decades-long fight for independence. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)
![Elderly Naga men watch a friendly football match in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. When matches are played in the village, everyone turns up to show support - the elderly squinting, parents carrying infants, young boys making bonfires to keep spectators warm. More important than the victory is the joy of getting together. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)]()
Elderly Naga men watch a friendly football match in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. When matches are played in the village, everyone turns up to show support - the elderly squinting, parents carrying infants, young boys making bonfires to keep spectators warm. More important than the victory is the joy of getting together. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)
![Spectators turn their faces from wind blowing dust after a friendly soccer match in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. The afternoon's match with a neighbouring village was arranged in a day's notice. Everyone who can play can get chosen for a match. Most from the host village had spent the hours before the match painting a house, a common practice in the community where the culture of helping hands remains deeply ingrained. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)]()
Spectators turn their faces from wind blowing dust after a friendly soccer match in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. The afternoon's match with a neighbouring village was arranged in a day's notice. Everyone who can play can get chosen for a match. Most from the host village had spent the hours before the match painting a house, a common practice in the community where the culture of helping hands remains deeply ingrained. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)
![Nagas are silhouetted as they watch a friendly football match with a neighbouring village in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. Most Naga villages are perched on mountaintops, originally built long ago to spot approaching enemies when the region was little more than a forest. But on nearly every hilltop, a soccer pitch springs to life. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)]()
Nagas are silhouetted as they watch a friendly football match with a neighbouring village in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. Most Naga villages are perched on mountaintops, originally built long ago to spot approaching enemies when the region was little more than a forest. But on nearly every hilltop, a soccer pitch springs to life. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)
![A.S. Ngayaomi, 20, third right, who is sitting in as a substitute player, watches a friendly football match between villages in Shangshak, with Nungshang village seen in the background mountaintop, in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. "We learn to play the game from the time we start walking," Ngayaomi said. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)]()
A.S. Ngayaomi, 20, third right, who is sitting in as a substitute player, watches a friendly football match between villages in Shangshak, with Nungshang village seen in the background mountaintop, in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. "We learn to play the game from the time we start walking," Ngayaomi said. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)
![Nagas watch a friendly football match between villages in Shangshak, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. Nagas are in indigenous people inhabiting several northeastern Indian states and across the border in Myanmar. In most of India, cricket is the only sport that matters. But for the Nagas, it is soccer. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)]()
Nagas watch a friendly football match between villages in Shangshak, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, Jan. 30 2021. Nagas are in indigenous people inhabiting several northeastern Indian states and across the border in Myanmar. In most of India, cricket is the only sport that matters. But for the Nagas, it is soccer. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)
![Tangkhul Nagas walk dressed in traditional attire after church service in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021. Most Naga villages are perched on mountaintops, originally built long ago to spot approaching enemies when the region was little more than a forest. But inspite of the terrain, on nearly every hilltop, there will be a flat rectangle to serve as a soccer field. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)]()
Tangkhul Nagas walk dressed in traditional attire after church service in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021. Most Naga villages are perched on mountaintops, originally built long ago to spot approaching enemies when the region was little more than a forest. But inspite of the terrain, on nearly every hilltop, there will be a flat rectangle to serve as a soccer field. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)
![K.B., Paishola, 80, an elderly Tangkhul Naga, stitches a pomelo fruit into a soccer ball in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021. In Naga villages, where children all play soccer, sometimes balls are made from pig bladders or rag-stuffed pomelos. "I stitch these fruit balls so children can play soccer and I can watch them" she said.(AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)]()
K.B., Paishola, 80, an elderly Tangkhul Naga, stitches a pomelo fruit into a soccer ball in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021. In Naga villages, where children all play soccer, sometimes balls are made from pig bladders or rag-stuffed pomelos. "I stitch these fruit balls so children can play soccer and I can watch them" she said.(AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)
