The Nagas

Hill Peoples of Northeast India

Project Introduction The Naga Database

published - 'Report of the Survey Operations in the Naga Hills 1875-1876' by Lt. R.G. Woodthorpe

caption: halt at Wokha; description of Longsa; to Aimung
medium: tours
person: Butler/ Capt.
location: Wokha Teshi R. Longsa Shichemi (Chichimi) Chongliemdi (Changyemdi) Chimei R. (Chene R.) Luphuemi Chimoni Aimung
date: 10.3.1876-15.3.1876
production:
person: Woodthorpe/ R.G.
date: 1875-1876
text: 38. We halted at Wokha for observations and correspondence till the 10th, when we again started, this time with united forces [below] and camped once more on the Doiang, the next day proceeding, via Nungatung and Pusimi, to the Teshi River.
text: 42nd Assam Light Infantry
3 Native Officers
6 Havildars
88 Sepoys
2 Buglers
Police
1 Inspector
3 Head-Constables
25 Constables
text: On the 12th, our road took us to Chichimi again, via Lunkomi and Setemi. How different, however, was our reception now to what it had been on our first visit; now, instead of crowds of armed men opposing our progress at every step, the Nagas came out with scarcely a weapon among them, receiving us in a most friendly manner; they had shut up the roads leading through the villages by placing small green boughs at intervals along them. This they imagined quite sufficient to mislead us. Captain Butler once told me that he saw a few twigs with leaves stuck here and there along a path leading to an Angami village. He asked the meaning of it, and was told that the demon of small-pox had visited a village near, and might wish to go there also; but if he came upon the twigs he would say - "Dear me! I thought there was a village-path here, but this is all jungle; I must try for another road." The Nagas do not give us credit for an intelligence superior to that of their devils. We reached Longsa, after a very fatiguing, hot march, in the afternoon. It is a very large Hatigoria village, quite a mile in length, extending along a narrow ridge. The village is not of equal breadth throughout, but must contain, I should think, at least 700 houses. On the lintel of one of them I saw a painting of a dao shaped like those we saw at Thetchumi in 1874, on the Lanier, which is thirty miles south-east from Longsa, across the watershed. I was surprised at this, and asked where the villagers had got this idea, and they answered that a dao of that shape had been taken in a raid on a village far east, the name of which they did not know. Early next morning the villagers brought in nine maunds of rice, and would have given us a good deal more if we could have carried it by any means; but, as it was, each man was carrying two seers extra. After it had been served out we started. A steep descent and a very stiff pull-up brought us to Changyemdi, two small villages situated on peaks about a mile apart. These villages are emigrations from Solachu, and are very poor. On the 14th, we crossed the Chene to Luphuemi, the camp descending to the stream beyond again, while Mr. Ogle and I visited the upper village, and passed on to a point on the watershed. A man from Luphuemi told us he had visited Lukopomi, via Yehim (on the east of the watershed), after we had departed, to see what damage we had done. In the evening, several men came down from Chimomi, bringing a large supply of goats, rice-beer, etc. They did not wish us to go to their village apparently; but I explained to them that, although we accepted what they had brought down (paying them of course) as a mark of friendliness, yet we by no means bound ourselves thereby not to go through their village if necessary: they expressed satisfaction and left. They returned again at 4 p.m. with more goats, and we went up to their village. The camp was pitched at Aimung village, Mr. Ogle and I again working towards the watershed during the afternoon.
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