The Nagas

Hill Peoples of Northeast India

Project Introduction The Naga Database

miscellaneous papers, notebooks and letters on Nagas by Ursula Graham Bower, 1937-1947

caption:

food taboos

medium:

notes

production:

person:	Graham Bower/ Ursula
date:	1937-1946

acquirer:

person:

private collection

text:

Food Taboos.

text:

The following may be eaten by old men only:

text:

1. python

text:

2. tiger, leopard-cat, leopard, and jungle-cats generally.

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3. game which had strayed into the village and been killed there.

text:

4. animals which died giving birth (this only occasionally; often they are not eaten at all).

text:

5 any wild game killed by a woman.

text:

The following are forbidden to women:

text:

1. goat (lest they acquire its amorous habits; when the men cook goat they use separate pots, or are made to scrub the family post out thoroughly before they are put back into general use).

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2. dog (no reason given)

text:

3. bear (no reason given, except that "It is unpleasant to look at")

text:

4. huluks and monkeys, because "they look human". Some women do, however, eat monkeys.

text:

5. hunampui, a jungle rat which lives in an underground burrow. "Because it looks like a rat".

text:

6. squirrels, "Because women don't like such a small thing".

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