Profile portrait of Ungma Gaonbura
B&W photographic print. 'Gaonbura (government's post or 'headman') poses in full dance dress in Mills' garden. His necklace made of the inner part of conch shells signifies that he has done the mithun sacrifice. At the time of this picture, head-hunting no longer occurred in the Ao country, so t...
| Date(s) of creation: |
December 1923 |
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| Level: |
Item |
| Format: | Archive |
| Main author: | Mills; James Philip (1890-1960); colonial administrator and anthropologist |
| URL: |
http://digital.soas.ac.uk/LOAA004614 |
| URL Description: |
Digital version available online at SOAS Digital Collections |
| Summary: |
B&W photographic print. 'Gaonbura (government's post or 'headman') poses in full dance dress in Mills' garden. His necklace made of the inner part of conch shells signifies that he has done the mithun sacrifice. At the time of this picture, head-hunting no longer occurred in the Ao country, so that the right to wear the ornaments of a head hunter could be bought. This is the case with his wristlets embroidered with cowrie shells, fringed with red hair and the baldric with its long fringe of red goat's hair which he wears across his chest. This supports the "tail", from which hangs a deep fringe of human hair, with a narrow fringe of red dyed goat's hair above it. The dao which he carries is similarly ornamented. The head-dress is a circlet of bear's fur decorated with hornbill feathers, the number indicating the sacrifices he has completed and the Government expeditions in which he has taken part. His ears bear huge pads of cotton wool, and on his arms a pair of ivory armlets further confirm his high status. Below the knees he wears finely woven red cane leggings decorated with yellow orchid stem, and hollow brass anklets with lead balls inside them which rattle as he dances. (Ungma is a village of the Chongli language group) ' |
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| Main author: | Mills; James Philip (1890-1960); colonial administrator and anthropologist |
| Extent: |
1 photograph |
| Note: |
Machetes Civil servants Necklaces Naga (South Asian people) Ethnic group: Naga Ethnic group: Ao Naga |
| Access status: |
Open |
| Copyright: | Copyright held by J.P. Mills |
| Language: | No linguistic content |
| Scripts: |
Unwritten |
| Physical description: |
9.5 x 7 cm |
| Copies: | Digital version available online at SOAS Digital Collections |
| Format: | Archive |