The Nagas

Hill Peoples of Northeast India

Project Introduction The Naga Database

book : Return to the Naked Nagas (1939;1976)

caption: Chapter Twenty-six. Tribesmen Of Tirap
caption: words of alternating song between boys and girls
medium: books
ethnicgroup: Wanchu
location: Niaunyu (Niaunu)
production:
person: Furer-Haimendorf
date: 1962
text: _Boys.-_We_have_come_to_your_house_to_sing,
_______Tell_us_frankly_whether_you_want_us_as_your_lovers;
_______Do_not_tease_us,_by_saying_one_thing,
_______And_doing_another.
text: _Girls.-_Alas,_we_can_only_love_you_for_a_few_months,
_______For_we_are_betrothed_to_our_cousins,
_______And_it_would_be_wicked_to_break_the_engagement.
text: _Boys.-_We_do_not_want_to_be_your_lovers
_______For_a_short_time_only;
_______We_want_to_have_you_for_all_time
_______As_our_wives.
text: _Girls.-_We_cannot_be_your_wives,
_______Our_parents_would_be_cross_with_us
_______If_we_did_so.
text: _Boys.-_We_have_offered_to_become_your_husbands,
_______But_you_want_only_temporary_lovers;
_______So_we_shall_go_to_other_girls'_houses.
text: _Girls.-_Well,_go_ahead_and_make_love_to_them
_______If_you_can_get_other_girls,
_______We_too_can_get_other_lovers._(226)
text: _Boys.-_At_first_you_talked_very_sweetly,
_______But_now_you_have_turned_us_down
_______And_we_feel_very_bitter.
_______We_will_not_waste_our_time_with_you,
_______But_go_in_search_of_other_girls.
text: _Girls.-_We_did_not_know_that_you_wanted_to_marry_us,
_______We_thought_you_only_wanted_to_love_us.
_______You_never_told_us_what_was_in_your_mind.
_______We_were_quite_willing_to_make_love_to_you
_______For_a_few_months,_but_we_cannot_be_your_wives.
_______For_we_are_already_betrothed_to_our_cousins
_______And_they_would_feel_bad_if_we_broke_the_engagement.
_______Our_mother's_brother_would_beat_us,
_______And_we_are_afraid_of_him.
text: _Boys.-_Be_it_so._We_love_you_all_too_much
_______And_if_you_do_not_want_to_marry_us,
_______Let_us_be_your_lovers_for_some_time._
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