The Nagas

Hill Peoples of Northeast India

Project Introduction The Naga Database

manuscript - Christoph von Furer-Haimendorf, Naga notebook five

caption: help in rebuilding morungs and dancing between morungs
medium: notes
ethnicgroup: Konyak
location: Wanching
date: 11.9.1936
production:
person: Furer-Haimendorf
date: 25.8.1936-5.5.1937
refnum: School of Oriental and African Studies Library, London
text: (36) When the Ang's house was rebuilt Chingtang brought tying ropes.
text: When the Balang morung is rebuilt the Bala, Totang and Pangzong come to help and vice versa.
text: When the Dzing-shi morung rebuilds none of the others help.
text: If a Noka-nok-phong man builds his house the whole Oukheang morung from Wakching comes to help him. When the Au-kheang morung is rebuilt the Noka-nok-phong (37) people from Wanching bring madhu but get a hind leg of a mithan in return. When the Bala morung was burnt recently the Wanching men came to help, but only because the whole Bala khel had burnt down and help was needed.
text: Once in seven years the Balang men of Wakching go and cultivate a field of one man of the family, Yong-shong-nok (of Ang-wan-hu clan) - this man (now it is Taiwang) is Ang of the Bala. When the Wakching Balang morung is rebuilt he gives a big vessel with rice-beer (38) which has to be carried by six or seven men. When he dies the Balang of Wakching gets one pig from him and give one cloth to him.
text: Of Wakching only the Bala morungs come to dance (with the three morungs).
text: Of Tamlu all morungs come and dance with the 3 morungs (B.B.T.)
text: Of Yungyu come Yong-dzong and Ungman and dance with the 3 morungs (B.B.T.) and Shem-dzi and Phamdzung (39) dance with Dzim-shi.
text: From Namsang comes Me-niu and Len-dzing to dance with B.B.T.
text: From Nian Dzingla comes and dances with BBT.
text: From Chingtang Ou-hui comes and dances with BBT.
text: From Chingphoi the whole village comes and dances with Pan-dzong.