Funeral figure

Scope and Content

B&W photographic print. 'This wooden effigy of a warrior is in a little shelter near the platform on which the corpse has been placed, and friends can come to mourn in front of the effigy, which is thought to act as a channel for the deceased's fertility to pass back into the earth for the benefit of the village. The figure is dressed as the man would have been in life, with a feathered head-dress, necklaces, a head-taker's basket and three model spears. (It has to be noted that the fertility concept is not necessarily indigenous but rather an anthropological theory of the time).'

Access Information

Open

Note

Ethnic group: Naga

Ethnic group: Konyak Naga

Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements

9.5 x 7 cm

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by J.P. Mills