B&W photographic print. 'A group of carved and painted grave effigies, placed in a shelter belonging to the clan, so that the villagers can see them and remember the deceased as they pass by. They are dressed and ornamented as they would have been in life, and with them are various other objects, such as baskets, associated with their lives. The effigies have wooden "horns", between which the skull of the deceased is placed after it is separated from the body. According to J.P. Mills the fertility or 'soul-force' of the deceased is channelled via the wooden figures back into the earth, thus benefiting the village even in death. (It has to be noted that the theory of a 'soul-force' is not an indigenous concept but an anthropolgical interpretation of the time.) '
Effegies of the deceased
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- Bookmark:http://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb102-ppms58/ppms58/02/d/15
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- ReferenceGB 102 PP MS 58/02/D/15
- Dates of Creation16 April 1923
- Name of Creator
- Language of MaterialNo linguistic content
- Physical Description1 photograph
- Digital Materials
Scope and Content
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