Effegies of the deceased
B&W photographic print. 'A group of carved and painted grave effigies, placed in a shelter belonging to the clan, so that the villagers can see them and remember the deceased as they pass by. They are dressed and ornamented as they would have been in life, and with them are various other objects...
| Date(s) of creation: |
16 April 1923 |
|---|---|
| Level: |
Item |
| Format: | Archive |
| Main author: | Mills; James Philip (1890-1960); colonial administrator and anthropologist |
| URL: |
http://digital.soas.ac.uk/LOAA004385 |
| URL Description: |
Digital version available online at SOAS Digital Collections |
| Summary: |
B&W photographic print. 'A group of carved and painted grave effigies, placed in a shelter belonging to the clan, so that the villagers can see them and remember the deceased as they pass by. They are dressed and ornamented as they would have been in life, and with them are various other objects, such as baskets, associated with their lives. The effigies have wooden "horns", between which the skull of the deceased is placed after it is separated from the body. According to J.P. Mills the fertility or 'soul-force' of the deceased is channelled via the wooden figures back into the earth, thus benefiting the village even in death. (It has to be noted that the theory of a 'soul-force' is not an indigenous concept but an anthropolgical interpretation of the time.) ' |
|---|---|
| Main author: | Mills; James Philip (1890-1960); colonial administrator and anthropologist |
| Extent: |
1 photograph |
| Note: |
Effigies Sepulchral monuments Naga (South Asian people) Ethnic group: Naga Ethnic group: Konyak Naga |
| Access status: |
Open |
| Copyright: | Copyright held by J.P. Mills |
| Language: | No linguistic content |
| Scripts: |
Unwritten |
| Physical description: |
9.5 x 7 cm |
| Format: | Archive |