A Sketch of Assam: With some account of the Hill TribesButler, John, Major
History
A Sketch of Assam: With some account of the Hill Tribes
Butler, John, Major
Assam (India) -- Description and travel; Assam (India) -- Social life and customs; Ethnology -- India -- Assam
having loitered in the rear, was speared to death, and his head and
hands cut off and triumphantly stuck up on bamboos: the head in the
village of Najoo, and the hands in Khoekting. After some difficulty
the little detachment was extricated from its perilous position,
and retreated in safety. Shortly after this lamentable affair,
a larger military detachment was sent out; but to the present time
an amicable settlement has been impracticable. Almost immediately
after the last expedition, the Khetrees cut off the heads of eight
men of the village of Bulatin; from which we may infer that their
animosity continues unappeased, and that there is little hope of these
savages being speedily brought to a sense of the advantages attending
a reconciliation. Our intercession might be effectual for a time;
but it is more than probable that it would be incompatible with a
Naga's sense of honour to forego his greatest delight--revenge.
From the figured statement obtained from native authority, it would
appear that there are one hundred and four Naga villages in Upper
Assam, containing eleven thousand and ninety-five houses, with a
population of forty-eight thousand five hundred and eighty-eight
persons; but this estimate is probably erroneous. We shall perhaps be
nearer the truth, if, assuming the number of houses to be correctly
stated, we allow three persons for every dwelling: this gives a census
of thirty-three thousand two hundred and eighty-five souls--a closer
approximation to the apparent population.
LIST OF THE NAGA TRIBE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account