The Nagas

Hill Peoples of Northeast India

Project Introduction The Naga Database

manuscript - Christoph von Furer-Haimendorf, Naga diary one

caption: special archaic language of morungs
medium: diaries
ethnicgroup: Konyak
location: Wakching
date: 24.8.1936
production:
person: Furer-Haimendorf
date: 2.6.1936-11.7.1936
note: translated from german by Dr Ruth Barnes
acquirer:
person: School of Oriental and African Studies Library, London
text: I could see that the morung chants are made up of an antiquated, difficult language as the ten year old Dzem-ang did not understand many of the words at all. He also claimed that every morung had its own ceremonial language which people from other morungs do not comprehend fully. Yet although he himself is Ang-ban he knew a short chant of the The-phong morung by heart and could give the meaning too.
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