Byssus
06-10-2008, 01:24 AM
My Thoughts
See Pan-Mongoloid Insurgency in India (http://www.thephora.net/forum/showthread.php?t=33315) and Unrest in Mongoloid India (http://www.thephora.net/forum/showthread.php?p=561721) for some of my earlier forays into this corner of the world.
With respect to physical features, the Naga are amazingly heterogeneous, with some dramatic distinctions to be seen across tribal/geographic divides. Quite a few are strongly reminiscent of New World Indians (both hawk-nosed Great Plains types and brachycephalic Brasilids). Yet others display much broader facial features -- perhaps, to echo historical assessments, even an Australoid tendency. It's not my intent to present an exhaustive gallery of Naga tribes, but I have tried to include multiple examples for each, both male and female, whenever possible.
I presume quite a few of these photos may be staged for touristic purposes. Some of the shots make it easy to pretend it's so, but it would be refreshing to see them hard primitives to a man. The toothed adornments about the jawlines of some of the Naga men depicted below were fashioned from tiger fangs, and the white tusks in their headdresses were hewn from wild boars. More photos and commentary to come.
Background
Population: 2.5 million
Homelands: Northeast India: Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh; parts of Myanmar/Burma
Languages: 60 different dialects (Sino-Tibetan family); Nagamese, a syncretic variant of Assamese and local dialects, is the inter-tribal lingua franca; English, the official state language, is current in official circles and is the medium for education in Nagaland.
Religion: Predominantly Christian, at least in Nagaland proper (90.02% of the state's population, according to the 2001 census). Amongst Nagaland Christians, Baptists are predominant (75% of the state's population).
http://www.dailyherald.com/special/passagefromindia/images/side_nagaland_map1.gif http://www.dailyherald.com/special/passagefromindia/images/side_nagaland_map2.gifEthnographica Indica
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/79/249068577_f485a676a8.jpg
Naga man in full dress
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/98/249064046_4a6b6eedd0.jpg
Naga man in full dress, Naga hills, Manipur
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/86/249062675_dd06cd3e28.jpg
Naga girl, Chingjaroi village 1950s
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/85/249067295_6c90c9fa7e.jpg
Naga headman, Tuinem village 1950s
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/87/249066190_f0596b6274.jpg
Man from Impoi Village, North Cachar, Manipur State, 1950
Contemporary Images
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/208/493660453_dfa3f04cd6.jpg
Khiamniungan Naga
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/215/493660271_31136146e1.jpg
Khiamniungan Naga
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/493658545_51bcb66eba.jpg
Khiamniungan Naga
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1023/1444160488_14a95eebc9.jpg
Khiamniungan Naga
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1116/1420449612_4079ce1f47.jpg
Yimchunger Naga
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1223/1443313347_1d2527c017.jpg
Yimchunger warrior from Sagaing division Myanmar.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/191/494008637_c85cd5d8a9.jpg
Yimchunger Naga at the morung of Kutur village.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/226/493981130_f670746eb7.jpg
Yimchunger Naga at the morung of Kutur village.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1380/1419566983_0f24f1d7bb.jpg
Yimchunger Naga
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1177/537560450_c7b9eacd49.jpg
Chakhesang Naga people at Phutsero village.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1420/537557236_93914808cd.jpg
Chakhesang Naga people at Phutsero village.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/493894504_6f9f3a9066.jpg
Chingmei village: Chang Naga
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/200/493914409_016f599377.jpg
Chingmei village: Chang Naga
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/226/486895666_38d4a175b2.jpg
Upper Konyak Naga at Changlangshu village
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/184/484211933_129f4859ea.jpg
Konyak Naga at Wakching village
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/223/485388568_8177174c5b.jpg
Konyak Naga
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/218/485382748_9bc28463d0.jpg
Konyak Naga at Mon village.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/206/484222072_751bfeb125.jpg
Konyak Naga, Wakching village.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/230/494716585_8ab9a17e05.jpg
Sangtam Naga at Chare village.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1327/994347149_7c9c2a8ab0.jpg
Tangkhul Naga from Somrah Trace
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1010/1398742765_10d2981039.jpg
Tangkhul Naga
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1105/1398742773_19e1fad6c9.jpg
Tangkhul Naga
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/478787406_68c2f131cd.jpg
Naga (tribe unspecified) with old head-hunted skulls
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2131/2117989928_db884ce8f3.jpg
Naga women (tribe unspecified)
See Pan-Mongoloid Insurgency in India (http://www.thephora.net/forum/showthread.php?t=33315) and Unrest in Mongoloid India (http://www.thephora.net/forum/showthread.php?p=561721) for some of my earlier forays into this corner of the world.
With respect to physical features, the Naga are amazingly heterogeneous, with some dramatic distinctions to be seen across tribal/geographic divides. Quite a few are strongly reminiscent of New World Indians (both hawk-nosed Great Plains types and brachycephalic Brasilids). Yet others display much broader facial features -- perhaps, to echo historical assessments, even an Australoid tendency. It's not my intent to present an exhaustive gallery of Naga tribes, but I have tried to include multiple examples for each, both male and female, whenever possible.
I presume quite a few of these photos may be staged for touristic purposes. Some of the shots make it easy to pretend it's so, but it would be refreshing to see them hard primitives to a man. The toothed adornments about the jawlines of some of the Naga men depicted below were fashioned from tiger fangs, and the white tusks in their headdresses were hewn from wild boars. More photos and commentary to come.
Background
Population: 2.5 million
Homelands: Northeast India: Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh; parts of Myanmar/Burma
Languages: 60 different dialects (Sino-Tibetan family); Nagamese, a syncretic variant of Assamese and local dialects, is the inter-tribal lingua franca; English, the official state language, is current in official circles and is the medium for education in Nagaland.
Religion: Predominantly Christian, at least in Nagaland proper (90.02% of the state's population, according to the 2001 census). Amongst Nagaland Christians, Baptists are predominant (75% of the state's population).
http://www.dailyherald.com/special/passagefromindia/images/side_nagaland_map1.gif http://www.dailyherald.com/special/passagefromindia/images/side_nagaland_map2.gifEthnographica Indica
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/79/249068577_f485a676a8.jpg
Naga man in full dress
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/98/249064046_4a6b6eedd0.jpg
Naga man in full dress, Naga hills, Manipur
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/86/249062675_dd06cd3e28.jpg
Naga girl, Chingjaroi village 1950s
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/85/249067295_6c90c9fa7e.jpg
Naga headman, Tuinem village 1950s
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/87/249066190_f0596b6274.jpg
Man from Impoi Village, North Cachar, Manipur State, 1950
Contemporary Images
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/208/493660453_dfa3f04cd6.jpg
Khiamniungan Naga
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/215/493660271_31136146e1.jpg
Khiamniungan Naga
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/493658545_51bcb66eba.jpg
Khiamniungan Naga
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1023/1444160488_14a95eebc9.jpg
Khiamniungan Naga
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1116/1420449612_4079ce1f47.jpg
Yimchunger Naga
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1223/1443313347_1d2527c017.jpg
Yimchunger warrior from Sagaing division Myanmar.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/191/494008637_c85cd5d8a9.jpg
Yimchunger Naga at the morung of Kutur village.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/226/493981130_f670746eb7.jpg
Yimchunger Naga at the morung of Kutur village.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1380/1419566983_0f24f1d7bb.jpg
Yimchunger Naga
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1177/537560450_c7b9eacd49.jpg
Chakhesang Naga people at Phutsero village.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1420/537557236_93914808cd.jpg
Chakhesang Naga people at Phutsero village.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/493894504_6f9f3a9066.jpg
Chingmei village: Chang Naga
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/200/493914409_016f599377.jpg
Chingmei village: Chang Naga
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/226/486895666_38d4a175b2.jpg
Upper Konyak Naga at Changlangshu village
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/184/484211933_129f4859ea.jpg
Konyak Naga at Wakching village
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/223/485388568_8177174c5b.jpg
Konyak Naga
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/218/485382748_9bc28463d0.jpg
Konyak Naga at Mon village.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/206/484222072_751bfeb125.jpg
Konyak Naga, Wakching village.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/230/494716585_8ab9a17e05.jpg
Sangtam Naga at Chare village.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1327/994347149_7c9c2a8ab0.jpg
Tangkhul Naga from Somrah Trace
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1010/1398742765_10d2981039.jpg
Tangkhul Naga
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1105/1398742773_19e1fad6c9.jpg
Tangkhul Naga
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/478787406_68c2f131cd.jpg
Naga (tribe unspecified) with old head-hunted skulls
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2131/2117989928_db884ce8f3.jpg
Naga women (tribe unspecified)