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Namsai district is an administrative district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in north-east India. It was carved out of Lohit district in November 2014.^[2] It was the 18th district of Arunachal Pradesh

The plains, foothills and lower hills of the Namsai district were historically connected with the Chutia kingdom, while some Mishmi groups inhabited the higher hills. Following the fall of the Chutia kingdom in 1524 CE, the plains section of the district appears to have been brought under Ahom occupation. Two new positions, Thaomung Bo-gen (Sadiyakhowa Gohain) and Thaomung Bo-klang (Hatkhowa Gohain), were created to administer the plains region and manage the salt mines, with headquarters in the Mohong region. Over time, the Mishmi, Khamti and Singpho groups expanded their control and influence over the entire area of the district.

The Chutia association with the present Namsai region is reflected in the traditions of the Tengaponia Deoris, one of the priestly groups of the Chutias. Nicolas Lainé notes that, before the arrival of the Ahoms and the Khamti, Upper Assam was dominated by the Chutias, and that one of their clans, the Tengapanyas, lived along the Tengapani River in the present Namsai district.^[3] Following Sidney Endle, Lainé further records that the Tengapanya clan observed a cult on a mountain in Manabhum, and that this forest cult coincided with an older cult practised by the Deori population.^[3] He also states that after the Khamti settled along the Lohit River, the Deoris were asked to close and then move this place of worship, and argues that the Khamti cult of Chao Noi Cheynam may have developed through the appropriation and transformation of an earlier Deori cult connected with Manabhum.^[3] According to Lainé's fieldwork, Deoris from Mahadevpur near the present Assam–Arunachal border still sought access to the Manabhum forest to perform an ancient ritual, but were refused access by the Khamti.^[3] Later, the Khamti people migrated in the late 18th century and settled in the Namsai plains.

The Archaeological department of Arunachal Pradesh has found ruins of a fort with an earthen rampart similar to the Tezu and Hatiduba (Sadiya) sites, dating back to the 14th-15th century, as well as some stone pillars in the Manabhum region, which may have been a settlement from the Chutia era linked to the Tengaponia Deoris. Historical maps from the early 19th century name the hills near the Tengapani river as Daedam hill which may have been the site of this worship place.^[4] This site may be the same historical Joidham parvat site mentioned in Deori folklore.

The creation of Namsai district was approved by the Arunachal Pradesh government of Nabam Tuki on 21 March 2013.^[5] On 25 November 2014, the Namsai subdivision of Lohit district was declared as a new district of Arunachal Pradesh, becoming the 18th district of the state.^[2]

Arunachal Pradesh Khaw Tai (Khamti Rice) was awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) status tag from the Geographical Indications Registry, under the Union Government of India, on 3 October 2023 and is valid until 12 December 2031.^[7]

Namsai Organic Spices and Agricultural Producer Company Limited from Lohit, proposed the GI registration of Arunachal Pradesh Khaw Tai (Khamti Rice). After filing the application in December 2021, the rice was granted the GI tag in 2023 by the Geographical Indication Registry in Chennai, making the name "Arunachal Pradesh Khaw Tai (Khamti Rice)" exclusive to the rice grown in the region. It thus became the first rice variety from Arunachal Pradesh and the 3rd type of goods from Arunachal Pradesh to earn the GI tag. The GI tag protects the rice from illegal selling and marketing, and gives it legal protection and a unique identity.

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