| caption: |
to Ckekema; burning of Kelargim site and request to exchange land between villages |
| text: |
8th. With Political Agent in the rain to Chekema (Yang Khulen) where a man strolled up and solemnly offered me an iron tent-peg left behind in the ground "when the Political Agent and the Deputy Commissioner, Naga Hills came here together last", i.e. not more recently than 1926. I thanked him and gave him -/8/- (it was obviously my tent peg; Political Agent had no tent), and he then produced a little paddy and said 'this is what men eat'. The onlookers explained that he was afflicted. The elders complained about the frequent burning of a place called Kelargim (Nzemi) or Chenogi (Angami), on the Naga Hills side of the Tapon (Dzupvu) river by people from Pulomi (Kenoma) or from Khonoma. They said that when this parcel of land got burnt their village had to observe genna for three days as they owned the land and it was the abode of a deity. They wished therefore to exchange all their land on the Naga Hills side of the Tapon for all the Pulomi land on the Manipur side. Thus Pulomi would own the sacred grove and they would have to observe the genna when it got burnt. Pulomi were not there to reply, but I imagine that Chekema were optimistically trying for an exchange of land which would be no bad bargain for them. They had filed no case and did not seem unduly perturbed at having been put to the inconvenience of keeping gennas. I said I would ask Pulomi what they had to say and warn them against burning Kelargim. |
