| caption: |
Head-taker's drinking vessel (chunga), and head-taking tally. Cut in relief (on upper half) with figures of two cocks and a mithan head; (on lower half) with figures of a male warrior with dao in right hand, and a human pair holding a human head between them, one with a dao in his right hand. Between the two warriors a vertical zig-zag ridge representing a morung post. Top and bottom segments separated by a zig-zag band. Black background. Figures with traces of red. Seasoned bamboo. Phom. [probably] Mongnyu |
| text: |
Yakching commenced making drinking vessels in 1942 when P.F. Adams, ICS, Sub-Divisional Officer, Mokokchung, gave him one by the Phom Naga, Khaulim of Hokpong as a guide. Khaulim of Hokpong was the carver of the drinking vessels presented by Dr. J.H. Hutton to the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, in about 1920. Yakching's career as a carver dates from the receipt by him of the vessel by Khaulim sent to him by Adams. Since then he has regularly carved these drinking vessels for use as head-takers' tallies in life and as tallies for putting on their graves after death. Mongnyu was a village with a group of carvers. The chungas show the owner with all his victims. Sometimes the owner is duplicated. Prisoners are not shown. |
