The Nagas

Hill Peoples of Northeast India

Project Introduction The Naga Database

manuscript - Christoph von Furer-Haimendorf notebook ten

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clothing and decorations as girls dress for Spring festival dance

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person:	Furer-Haimendorf
date:	24.2.1937-11.4.1937

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School of Oriental and African Studies Library, London

note:

[konyak]

note:

[konyak].

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(1-2) Longkhai 24/2/1937

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(3) In the women's "court" of the Ang's house. The Ang's wife and the girls are laying out and cleaning the ornaments for the dance. On a big mat are: 5 skirts all richly embroidered, two of them covered with orange and green glass beads up to half of their length. One of them has tassels of goat's hair at both ends, two have small bells made at Longwa at one end. The one with tassels is only worn by women of Great Ang clan. The ones with white "fond" and red embroidery and those covered with beads are worn by women of Small Ang clan. Ben women wear skirts with darker 'fond', or at least without red embroidery. (4) Three necklaces of blue beads, each consisting of several strings, (the beads are bazaar beads), conch shells hang at the necklaces, fairly big bells (from Assam) and long tassels of goat's hair.

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(5) Six "colliers de chien" of yellow and brownish beads, most of the beads are cylindrical, some fairly long. They are not real "spirit money". In one of the necklaces of blue beads there are two strings of "spirit money" however. Three headdresses very like "collier de chien", but forming a closed circle, to be put on top of the "leaf-crowns". Eight heavy lead armlets, two brass armlets of the Wakching type with "teeth".

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Four armlets with cowries and blue beads on a ring of cane-work.

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(4) People present:
Likau, the Ang's wife, dresses the hair of Nei-dziu, a ben girl; and her mother
Ngun-ngam (Ngun = rupee), an Ang girl, daughter of the Ang and a
Ben woman, Lomei.
Ngapnun, the daughter (of) Wang-po, an Ang-ha-ba man (Ngap = small hornbill, only Ang girls are called so).
Ang-ya, a girl of Lukyem clan.
A man of Lukyem clan.
Several children including the Ang's wife's daughter.

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(6) The Yemba and Ouba is the same man: Ghei-nie. This evening he stood in the middle of the circle of dancers on the platform in front of the Ang's house. He had some leaves with white cooked rice in front of him and threw them into all directions saying: [konyak]. (7) Songs of the girls:

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