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...

Full description


Date(s) of creation: December 1923
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

collection SOAS Archive
id PP_MS_58.02.L.09
recordtype archive
scb_item_location Archive & Special Collections
item_location Archive & Special Collections
scb_loan_type Reference only
callnumber PP MS 58/02/L/09
callnumber_txt PP MS 58/02/L/09
callnumber-sort PP MS 58/02/L/09
prefix_number 09
title Profile portrait of Ungma Gaonbura
scb_date_creation December 1923
scb_level Item
level_sort 8/Collection/Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Sub-Collection/Series/Sub-Series/Sub-Sub-Series/File/Item
scb_extent 1 photograph
author Mills; James Philip (1890-1960); colonial administrator and anthropologist
author_facet Mills; James Philip (1890-1960); colonial administrator and anthropologist
authorStr Mills; James Philip (1890-1960); colonial administrator and anthropologist
author_letter Mills; James Philip (1890-1960); colonial administrator and anthropologist
format Archive
description 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) '
scb_access_status Open
scb_copyright Copyright held by J.P. Mills
language No linguistic content
language_search No linguistic content
scb_scripts_material Unwritten
scb_physc_charac_tech_reqs 9.5 x 7 cm
scb_copies Digital version available online at SOAS Digital Collections
note Machetes
Civil servants
Necklaces
Naga (South Asian people)
Ethnic group: Naga
Ethnic group: Ao Naga
scb_url http://digital.soas.ac.uk/LOAA004614
scb_url_description Digital version available online at SOAS Digital Collections
hierarchy_top_id_raw PP MS 58
hierarchy_sequence PP_MS_58.0002.00L.0009