The Nagas

Hill Peoples of Northeast India

Project Introduction The Naga Database

manuscript - Christoph von Furer-Haimendorf, Naga notebook seven

caption: ritual officials - Ngon-ba
medium: notes
ethnicgroup: Konyak
location: Kongan
date: 25.9.1936
production:
person: Furer-Haimendorf
date: 23.9.1936-21.3.1937
refnum: School of Oriental and African Studies Library, London
text: (42) Ngon-ba (corresponds to Nieng-ba of Wakching)
there are 3 in Chingha
there are 3 in Lingba
there are 2 in Yong-sha
there are 2 in Khangkhai
text: They are the oldest men of any clan. There ought to be 3 in each morung but in Yong-sha and Khang-khai are not enough old men. They make gennas for sick people. They make the gennas for crops. They build the corpse platforms. They take the heads to the head tree. (43) every house of the village gives one small basket of dhan for the Ngon-bas. The Ngon-bas don't settle disputes and impose fines, that is done by the gaonburas and the Angs today. In the old times it was done by an informal council of morung elders.
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