SOLD - Naga Ear Onaments
Naga Ear Ornaments Naga "Crystal" ear ornaments known as tongbang symbolizing status within the community. Once worn, these are ordinarily not taken off. In order to wear them, the holes in the earlobe must be large enough. For this, the hole is bored in infancy and gradually enlarged with cotton wool and a wooden plug until it is big enough to take the tongbang, which is worn with the opening pointing downwards. Possession of these earrings is judged potentially dangerous and they are, therefore, subjected to rules which neutralize negative charges. For ex- ample, a new owner of a pair of khanas (the Tangkhul term for tongbang) sacrifices a chicken on his way home so that his wife or daughter will have a long life and, thereby, enjoy the acquisition of these earrings. Ganguli (1984:132) and Kaping (1998: 107) report the continuing use of khanas by the Tangkhul Nagas of the Somra tract on the India-Myanmar border. In the olden days, these earrings were often valued as much as a mithan (Bos fron- talis), an animal sacred to the Nagas. The earrings used to come from far off places, and hence had great value. NAGA ORNAMENTS AND THE INDIAN OCEAN Alok Kumar Kanungo Deccan College Post-Graduate & Research Institute, Pune – 411006, India
(your personal information is never shared)
Naga Ear Ornaments Naga "Crystal" ear ornaments known as tongbang symbolizing status within the community. Once worn, these are ordinarily not taken off. In order to wear them, the holes in the earlobe must be large enough. For this, the hole is bored in infancy and gradually enlarged with cotton wool and a wooden plug until it is big enough to take the tongbang, which is worn with the opening pointing downwards. Possession of these earrings is judged potentially dangerous and they are, therefore, subjected to rules which neutralize negative charges. For ex- ample, a new owner of a pair of khanas (the Tangkhul term for tongbang) sacrifices a chicken on his way home so that his wife or daughter will have a long life and, thereby, enjoy the acquisition of these earrings. Ganguli (1984:132) and Kaping (1998: 107) report the continuing use of khanas by the Tangkhul Nagas of the Somra tract on the India-Myanmar border. In the olden days, these earrings were often valued as much as a mithan (Bos fron- talis), an animal sacred to the Nagas. The earrings used to come from far off places, and hence had great value. NAGA ORNAMENTS AND THE INDIAN OCEAN Alok Kumar Kanungo Deccan College Post-Graduate & Research Institute, Pune – 411006, India
MESSAGE SENT, THANK YOU
(your personal information is never shared)