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Detail PhotosThis is a fantastic shawl, with the
distinctive pattern of the Ao Naga tribe. This kind of
garment was worn by someone who had earned the right to wear
such an ornate shawl by demonstrating prowess in battle and / or offering a series of merit generating
feasts to their village. This is the old style shawl with the
design drawn on with pigment inks, rather than embroidered. The
embellished strip in the center of the shawl shows linear
patterns typical of the Naga, as well as roosters, elephants,
sun, moon starts, weapons such as spear and dao, Mithun,
warriors, tiger and elephant, etc.
In traditional Naga society the wearing of
certain textiles, jewelry, and tattoo designs was subject to an
elaborate set of protocols and one's personal ornaments said
much about status and one's place in society . In the Naga
culture, hosting community feasts and the taking of heads were
important aspects of their socio-spiritual system. These
activities generated merit and fertility as well as garnering
considerable status for the warrior or feast giver. Fertility
can be broadly understood in this context to encompass every
thing from an individual's own virility and status, to abundant
crops and livestock, to the capacity to ward off war raids from
other Naga groups, and the increase of all things positive in
general for the community. Giving feasts also served equalize
economic standing in the community and allowed all community
members to enjoy the spoils of wealth so to speak. People did
not hoard wealth but rather redistributed it through community
feasting, thereby transforming the material wealth into
"status". Indeed it was the prestige that accrued that was
viewed as "valuable" and not so much the material wealth in and
of itself.
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| ITEM NAME: |
Naga Status
Shawl |
| ITEM CODE: |
HMN-69 |
| PRICE: |
Email |
| SHIPPING: |
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STATUS: |
SOLD |
| PEOPLE/REGION: |
Ao Naga,
Mokokchung, Nagaland |
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MATERIALS: |
cotton, pigments |
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AGE: |
Circa mid 20th
C. or before |
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SIZE: |
62" Long
42" wide |
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Please note the item number and kindly e-mail your
inquiries.
HimMerc@om.wlink.com.np

Visa, American Express, Master Cards and Discover are accepted.
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