| caption: |
robbery of grave ornaments |
| text: |
Another strange case was the robbing of the grave ornaments of a noted man in an Angami village. Headtaking must have ceased about 1880 but he was said to have taken a head in war and the tail feather of a hornbill rightly appeared on his headdress. His ceremonial dress, his spear and necklets of shells were placed on his grave. They were stolen; a sacrilege hitherto unheard of. Suspicion fell on a man of the village but he took an oath on his own life that he was not guilty. I sent out a dobashi to enquire but no evidence could be found. Six months later he died suddenly, an event possibly unfortunate for him but fortunate for public morality. |
