Standing male figure ·  India, Naga · ID: 3048304

Description

wood, glass beads, metal, base

The figure holds a severed head in its hands. In all likelihood, it represents a deceased warrior who was associated with headhunting. The multi-stranded necklace could be an individual identifying feature.

Situated between realism and abstraction, these sculptures are the works of memory and at the same time highlight the authority and prestige of their owner. They were either placed in residential houses, or in the men’s houses of the various family clans called “morung”.

Comparing literature

Draguet, Michel, Naga, Brussels 2018, ill. 173