This rice beater from Nagaland exemplifies the beauty and style the Naga people put into even their most utilitarian objects.
The timeless quality of an object like this defies precise dating. All we have to go on is the patina and workmanship and the knowledge that Nagaland is now inundated with factory produced goods. Let's say that it is pre-1950. ...click for details
This is an unusual Naga necklace with five cut-out full male figures flanked by a fish pendant on either side. Take a close look at the faces and you will see that each of the brass pieces is unique. The cutting out of the voids is an unusual extra step which had to have been done individually by hand and indicates the care to which the craftsman went. The necklace is strung with traditional orange cylindrical Naga glass beads. ...click for details
In traditional Naga society the wearer of this necklace had to have taken three heads. Since the Naga gave up headhunting by the middle of the 20th century, we are dating this necklace as pre-1950 though it is probably considerably older.
A 21 inch string of black, yellow and green beads attaches to loops on either ends of the brass heads. The three heads together measure 5-3/4 inches in length. Not including the t ...click for details
This is an old piece as can be seen from the patina and
the wear on the back. The red glass beads are no doubt
a more recent addition, but the value of the piece is in
the double brass heads which have an entirely different feel from the new brass work now found on the market.
The brass measures 4-1/2 inches across and 3 inches high. The beads are 21 inches.
Under traditional Naga customs this neck ring would have been worn only by a man who had taken heads. While many pieces of headhunter jewelry from Nagaland are now being reproduced, this piece shows the wear and patina to date back to the time of headhunting. We have provided several closeup shots to so indicate.
At its widest the piece is 6 inches. The opening for the neck is 3-1/2 inches, and the widest inner width ...click for details
