| caption: |
visit to the plateau west of Haflong; decayed Zemi culture |
| text: |
(63) Quite the most interesting things on the plateau - which was rolling, shadeless and unbelievably hot - were the urns. |
| text: |
The Zemi villages were small and disappointing. The people had lost some of their Naga character. They were dull and poor, dependent largely on work in Haflong bazaar; the settlements were often split into Pagan and Christian, a house divided against itself; their morungs were decaying, always a bad sign. It was depressing to come to this from the Barail, where Zemi culture still survived in so complete a form, even in villages, such as Asalu, a bare three miles from the railway. Much that would have been of great interest had here been neglected and forgotten. The beauty and vitality of Zemi life were gone. The heart was out of it; and though, for comparison's sake, there were notes to be taken, it was not here that the main work must be done. |
