Deka Chang of Semkhor (Image number U.009, J.P. Mills Photographic Collection)

Deka Chang: This building is used by men and boys as a sleeping place at night and a kind of "club" by day. The image shows a crowd of men and boys standing outside. The deka chang has three doors in front, and hanging from the eaves above them is a pointed bamboo stick marked with transve...

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Full title: Deka Chang of Semkhor (Image number U.009, J.P. Mills Photographic Collection) [electronic resource].
Format: Photo           
Language: English
Published: 1927.
Series: SOAS Digital Library.
ASC.
REGIONS.
RSA.
JPMILLS.
ILOAA.
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LEADER 05148nkm a22005653a 4500
001 LOAA005185_00001
005 20150315174421.0
006 m o c
007 cr n ---ma mp
008 150313n xx nnn o neng d
024 7 |a PP MS 58/02/U/09  |2 calm reference 
040 |a LOA  |c LOA 
245 0 0 |a Deka Chang of Semkhor (Image number U.009, J.P. Mills Photographic Collection)  |h [electronic resource]. 
260 |c 1927. 
490 |a J.P. Mills Photographic Collection. 
500 |a Date of photograph: 1927 March 6 
500 |a Copyright held by the Estate of J.P. Mills. The Estate is currently (2015) represented by Geraldine Hobson. 
500 |a This item may be used under license: Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial (CC BY-NC) 
500 |a This image is part of album U. This album and the preceding one both refer to the time between 1927 and 1928 when Mills was posted as Acting Deputy Commissioner to Cachar, in the southern part of Assam. The adminsitrative headquarters was at Silchar in the plains, but the area which particularly concerned Mills was the hill country of North Cachar. This was regarded as the Cinderella of Subdivisions, to which officers were often sent temporarily while waiting for a better posting. They usually had no experience of working with hill tribes and were not interested in learning about their customs and history. Mills, with his vast experience of the hill tribes was asked to sort out the resultant mess, and took it as golden opportunity to study and photograph the people and their way of life. The album also contains a few photographs from other areas. 
500 |a Originally collected in Album U of the "J.P. Mills Photographic Collection". (Held in the SOAS, University of London, Archives and Special Collections.) 
500 |a Mills, J. P. (James Philip), 1890-1960. [Note on Semkhor, 4.4.27 and Tour Diary 1927.] (Held by SOAS, University of London.) 
500 |a The Dimasa Kachari are alternately known as the Semkhor and the Dwimasa 
500 |a VIAF ID: 2475026 (name authority) : Mills, J.P. (James Philip), 1890-1960 
500 |a VIAF ID: 24095368 (name authority) : Hobson, Geraldine 
500 |a Ethnologue reference: http://www.ethnologue.com/language/dis 
506 |a Image: © 1927, The Estate of J.P. Mills. Text: © 1996, Geraldine Hobson. 
520 3 |a Deka Chang: This building is used by men and boys as a sleeping place at night and a kind of "club" by day. The image shows a crowd of men and boys standing outside. The deka chang has three doors in front, and hanging from the eaves above them is a pointed bamboo stick marked with transverse black lines, identical to those put up by the Maghs of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Inside the building are bamboo sleeping benches, but no carvings of any kind, in contrast to the elaborate carvings to be found in the Morungs of many Naga tribes. The inhabitants of Semkhor are very different from the Zemi Nagas which surround them. They speak Kachari, dress like Kacharis and their houses are of the Kachari pattern, yet they are definitely not Kacharis, though Kacharis are the only people allowed to enter their houses, a right which is reciprocated. They are Hindus, like Kacharis. Mills considered that they could be descendants of the Konyak Nagas who used to form the bodyguard of the Kachari kings. This theory was borne out, in his opinion, by certain similarities with the Konyaks in burial customs and items of dress. There are the remains of a Kachari fort about three miles from the village. The people of Semkhor have never intermarried with Kacharis, and the reason why the village is the only one of its kind is that the Kachari kings strictly forbade the founding of any colony villages.They usually had no experience of working with hill tribes and were not interested in learning about their cus 
533 |a Electronic reproduction.  |b London :  |c SOAS, University of London,  |c Archives and Special Collections,  |d 2015.  |f (SOAS Digital Library)  |n Mode of access: World Wide Web.  |n System requirements: Internet connectivity; Web browser software. 
535 1 |a Archives and Special Collections. 
650 |a एशिया -- भारत -- असम -- उत्तर कछर जिला. 
650 |a এশিয়া -- ভারত -- আসাম. 
650 7 |a Bodo Kachari.  |2 ethnicity 
650 7 |a Dimasa Kachari.  |2 ethnicity 
650 7 |a Kachari.  |2 ethnicity 
650 7 |a बोड़ो कछारी.  |2 ethnicity 
650 7 |a कछारी.  |2 ethnicity 
650 7 |a ডিমাছা कछारी.  |2 ethnicity 
650 7 |a বড়ো জনগোষ্ঠী.  |2 ethnicity 
720 1 |a Mills, J. P. (James Philip), 1890-1960.. 
720 1 |a Hobson, Geraldine.  |4 ctb 
752 |a India  |b Assam  |c Dima Hasao District  |d Semkhor. 
830 0 |a SOAS Digital Library. 
830 0 |a ASC. 
830 0 |a REGIONS. 
830 0 |a RSA. 
830 0 |a JPMILLS. 
830 0 |a ILOAA. 
852 |a SOAS 
856 4 0 |y Electronic Resource 
992 0 4 |a http://digital.soas.ac.uk/content/LO/AA/00/51/85/00001/00009thm.jpg