File:Natives of northern India (1907) (14765100015).jpg

Identifier: nativesofnorther00croo (find matches)
Title: Natives of northern India
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Crooke, William, 1848-1923
Subjects: Ethnology -- India India -- Social conditions India -- Description and travel
Publisher: London : A. Constable and Company, ltd.
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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is simple, consisting of necklaces and anapron, or sometimes without the apron. In NorthKachar married women have a dress which distin-guishes them from the maidens of the tribe. Theformer leave the bosom uncovered, while the latterwear a cloth tightly folded round the breast. Themarried women have their long hair plaited andknotted at the back, or sometimes flowing naturallyover the shoulders. The unmarried girls have the haircut square in front and brushed down over the fore-head nearly to the eyebrows. Some of the men wearhuge bunches of white cotton, as large as a mans fist,in their ears, which is said to give them a monkey-likeappearance. Another remarkable portion of the Nagawardrobe is a wooden tail, which among the Sematribe is about eighteen inches long, and decorated withbunches of goats hair dyed scarlet. According toColonel Woodthorpe, all the Nagas personal decora-tions have a defensive purpose in view, like our oldmilitary stocks and epaulettes, and are planned to No. 5
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Hindu Girl in the Plains TRIBES OF THE NORTHERN HILLS 49 ward off the spear and axe, while the long hair whichis so profusely used, waving about with every move-ment of the wearer, distracts the eye of the foe levellinga spear at him, and disturbs his aim. The Bhotiyas of North Assam retain more of theMongoloid characteristics than the Nagas. Theirfaces are broad and flat, eyes small and oblique,mouths large, noses short and low. At the same timemany of the young women have fine, plump, rosycheeks, * healthy and pleasant,* says Colonel Dalton, tolook on, though their complexions, a light olive, havenothing in common with the lily. While the Nagasare pure Animists, the Bhotiyas profess to be Bud-dhists, but this is only a veneer over the Animism whichis their real belief Polyandry is a recognised insti-tution among them, and to quote the same writer: From my own observation, I believe the Bhotiyas to beutterly indifferent to the honour of their women, andthe women themselves are devoid

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