The Nagas

Hill Peoples of Northeast India

Project Introduction The Naga Database

manuscript - Christoph von Furer-Haimendorf, Naga notebook six

caption: taboos associated with child birth
medium: notes
ethnicgroup: Konyak
location: Wakching
date: 5.9.1936
production:
person: Furer-Haimendorf
date: 28.8.1936-26.10.1936
refnum: School of Oriental and African Studies Library, London
text: On the day the woman delivers the child the husband doesn't go anywhere, but he doesn't remain in the house, but goes to one of his relatives houses and eats them. When the child is born he comes back, and the clan eldest gives the name to the child on the same day. After the child is born (75) the woman's relatives come and bring fire-wood and they ask: "What is the name of the child?"
text: Children don't eat the meat of animals killed at certain gennas such as for illness and at funerals. They don't eat of tiger's kill or the bird ou-sha (crow). Also the grown up people don't eat crows because they eat human corpses.