The Nagas

Hill Peoples of Northeast India

Project Introduction The Naga Database

letter from J.P. Mills to J.H. Hutton

caption: Lhota phratries
medium: letters
person: Hutton/ J.H.
ethnicgroup: Lhota
production:
person: Mills/ J.P.
date: 31.12.1920
acquirer:
person: Pitt Rivers Museum Archive, Oxford
refnum: Hutton Ms. Box 319-21
text: Camp Wokha,
text: 31/12/1920
text: Dear Hutton,
text: I have made further very careful enquiries about the Lhota phratries. Some people regard them as all equal. Those who give any order place them (1) Tompyahtserre (2) Izumontserre and (3) Mipongsandri. The list is as follows, the column on the left showing what women of that clan are called. As you will see there is a good deal of confusion.
text: __Tompyahtserre
_Kikung_________|
_Ovung__________|
_Tsangaukikung__|_____Women_of_this_phratry_always_called
_Pathong________|_____'apfu'_by_their_children
_Chami__________|
_Worori_________|
_Chongyichami___|
_Tsoboi_________|
_Kuwang_________|
text: __Izumontserre
_Nguli
_Semplinguli_|_____Women_called_'ayo'_by_her_children
_Shetui______|_____among_the_Liye's,_and_'apfu'_among
_Huritsoi____|_____the_Notrungs.
_Kithang__________Sometimes_'ayo'_sometimes_'apfu'._No_rule
__________Clan_is_a_curious_one,_often_regarded_as_Tompyahtserre.
_Mozoi_______|____Always_called_'ayo'
_Rangpang____|
text: __Mipongsandri
_Muri________Always_called_'ayo',_except_apparently_at_Lungor
_Othui_______|
_Eui_________|
_Thangwe_Eui_|___Always_called_'ayo'
_Lapung______|
_Toorothui___|
_Ezong____Always_called_'apfu'
_Yanthang______|
_Moyoyanthang__|_'ayo'_in_some_villages,_'apfu'_in_others
_Tsangle_______|
text: No one can explain to me why Ezong should be the exception it is.
text: I shall more or less rewrite this part of my monograph. When can I have your note - on origins? I will let you know about the corresponding clan to Tsoiothui as soon as I can.
text: The traditional derivations of the phratry names are as follows:
text: __Tom-pyak-tserre
_Forehead-clearing-men_______meaning?
text: __Izumontserre
_Scattered-men___ie._spread_out_and_built_villages
text: __Mi-pong-sandri
_Fire-smoke-conquering_men__ie._the_smoke_of_the_villages_they
_____________________________burnt_was_to_be seen from afar.
text: You probably know that there is a strong tradition that some of the Lhotas at least came from the N.W. - from a place called Lengka, the locality of which is unknown. They split off from the 'Assamese' and came up into the hills. The long daos (yanthang) are definitely connected with these 'Assamese'. They also recognise the Tukomi-Sangtams as brothers and the use of axe-shaped daos (Tsonak) is still remembered.
text: Many thanks for the fourth part of the monograph which I got today.
text: J.P. Mills
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