Cementry at Semkhor

B&W photographic print. 'Structures in the cemetery: The burial customs of Semkhor also show similarities with those of the Konyaks. Mills' description is quoted at length; without it interpretation of the images would be impossible. ' The cemetery is close to two old pipal trees, just outside t...

Full description

Archive & Special Collections PP MS 58/02/U/14 Open

Date(s) of creation: 6 March 1927
Level: Item
Format: Archive           
Main author: Mills; James Philip (1890-1960); colonial administrator and anthropologist
URL: http://digital.soas.ac.uk/LOAA005189
URL Description: Digital version available online at SOAS Digital Collections

collection SOAS Archive
id PP_MS_58.02.U.14
recordtype archive
scb_item_location Archive & Special Collections
item_location Archive & Special Collections
scb_loan_type Reference only
callnumber PP MS 58/02/U/14
callnumber_txt PP MS 58/02/U/14
callnumber-sort PP MS 58/02/U/14
prefix_number 14
title Cementry at Semkhor
scb_date_creation 6 March 1927
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. 'Structures in the cemetery: The burial customs of Semkhor also show similarities with those of the Konyaks. Mills' description is quoted at length; without it interpretation of the images would be impossible. ' The cemetery is close to two old pipal trees, just outside the village. The body, together with clothes and ornaments, is burnt at the cemetery. The ashes are then collected and a little square of mat ting placed over them and pinned down, and on the mat are placed imitation deo moni beads made of little cylinders of plantain leaf. A long, narrow roof is built high up over this, and a cloth spread over the roof. The whole is fenced round. One naturally expects to see a corpse platform under such a roof, for the whole thing is reminiscent of platform burial. There is such a platform, but only a very small one, at one end. On this is placed a most curious imitation head, with a piece of cloth suspended over it to represent the roof of the head-house. The head is like a bamboo basket-work egg cut in half. Every piece of bamboo in it is wound round with red thread. A series of coarse threads obviously represents hair, the top-knot (or bun, in the case of a woman) being a tuft of black thread. One side is left open to represent the face. On each side is a little section of pith to represent an ear ornament, and a thick loop of cotton serves for beads round the neck. Over the back of the "head" is thrown a scrap of old cloth. The graves of both men and women are decorated with bird scarers (flat slats of wood), which may be very degenerate bull roarers, and with the squares of thread one sees on the graves of Angami women. Since these squares are put on the graves of both sexes, I take it they have nothing to do with the use of thread by women, but represent cobwebs to catch evil spirits. Near each grave is a separate platform on wooden poles on which are placed offerings of taro and cooking pots'. The inhabitants of Semkhor are very different from the Zemi Nagas'
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 Ethnic group: Bodo Kachari
Ethnic group: Dimasa Kachari
Ethnic group: Kachari
The Dimasa Kachari are alternately known as the Semkhor and the Dwimasa
scb_url http://digital.soas.ac.uk/LOAA005189
scb_url_description Digital version available online at SOAS Digital Collections
hierarchy_top_id_raw PP MS 58
hierarchy_sequence PP_MS_58.0002.00U.0014

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