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Chapter One. The Material Background |
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spacious and stately houses |
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No one could fail to be impressed by the spaciousness and stateliness of the average Konyak house. It compared favorably with the homes of many Assamese peasants, and offered more comfort than the dwellings in which the majority of the poorer classes of Indian towns were accustomed to live. Differences between the houses of the rich and those of inpecunious families related to size and maintenance rather than to structure and style. There were none of the visible and demonstrative symbols of wealth so characteristic of such Naga tribes as the Angamis, whose affluent men gained the right to decorate their houses with conspicuous carvings by giving costly feasts of merit. |