The Nagas

Hill Peoples of Northeast India

Project Introduction The Naga Database

printed - tour diary of the Deputy Commissioner of the Naga Hills for the year 1870-1872 (John Butler) volume two

caption:

through fortified villages to Kerumah; dispute between Kerumah and Nerhemah; head-taking

medium:

tours

person:

Makhuma clan/ Kerumah Luchema clan/ Kerumah Marama clan/ Kerumah

location:

Kerumah Zubja R. Nerhemah

date:

28.2.1872

production:

person:	Butler/ John
date:	22.11.1870-17.2.1873

note:

inaccurate spelling in the original text

text:

28th February, Wednesday. Moved camp to-day 8 miles along a very fair road, indeed the road was so good we might easily have ridden the whole way if we had only brought our ponies with us. The trouble however of getting a pony through the barricades and panjied ditches surrounding every village is so great that I have long preferred to trust to my own legs and after all I think we are better off as we are. Kerumah is a large village situated on a high open ridge overhanging the Zubja (or Rangmapani), and owing to the active war now being waged by it, it has been strongly fortified in every direction. The skull of an unfortunate Nerhemah Naga now hangs suspended from a large tree close to the western gateway and I am told there were two more there a short time ago. Of course it is needless for me to say I did my utmost to obtain a reconciliation between the 2 villages or to add that my efforts were in vain. I thought at one time I was in a fair way to get them to lay the dispute before me, but one old fellow spoilt my game by asking "If we Kerumahs agree to what you say and obey your orders and the Nerhemah men refuse to do so, will you punish them?" And as of course I was unable under present circumstances to answer his question in the affirmative, the conference very soon came to an end and the matter (I very much regret to say) had to be left in status quo. Kerumah consists of 315 houses divided into the following clans:-
__________________________________________________Houses
__________Makhuma__...____...____...____...____...__103
__________Luchema__...____...____...____...____...___53
__________Marama___...____...____...____...____...___50
___________________________________________________----
________________________________________Total__...__315

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