Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Elizabeth Bayley Willis Northeast India photograph collection, circa 1954
Overview of the Collection
- Collector
- Willis, Elizabeth Bayley
- Title
- Elizabeth Bayley Willis Northeast India photograph collection
- Dates
- circa 1954 (inclusive)19491959
- Quantity
-
310 photographic
prints (1 box) ; 4 x 5 inches
100 copy negatives (1 box) ; 4x5 inches - Collection Number
- PH0690
- Summary
- Photographs collected by Elizabeth Bayley Willis taken by Verrier Elwin and Panna Pal in northeast India in the 1950s documenting various landscapes and ethnic groups
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open to the public.
- Additional Reference Guides
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Elizabeth Bayley Willis was born Elizabeth Palmer Bayley in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1902. She attended Queen Anne High School and spent a year in Boston and West Newton, Massachusetts, at the Misses Allen School. In Boston Willis studied European art history and the Asian collections at the Boston Museum. Willis spent one year of college at Mount Holyoke, continuing to visit Boston and study at the museum. She graduated from the University of Washington in 1923. Willis married Cecil Durand Willis in 1923, and the couple had four daughters before their divorce in 1937.
In 1937 Willis studied painting at Mills College summer session with artists Lyonel Feininger, Helen Chapin, and others. There she met Kenneth Callahan, who brought her into Seattle's art world. Through Callahan she met Morris Graves, Mark Tobey, and other Northwest artists, and she studied painting with Tobey in 1939 and 1940. From 1938 to 1943, Willis taught English and Latin at Garfield High School in Seattle and headed the school's art department.
In 1943 Willis went to New York looking for a gallery to show Mark Tobey's work. She was hired by Marian Willard to show Morris Graves's work at the Willard Gallery, and in 1947 she returned to Seattle to work as curator at the University of Washington's Henry Art Gallery. From 1948 to 1950, Willis was curator at the San Francisco Museum of Art and from 1950 to 1951, curator and acting assistant director of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. In charge of exhibits, Willis curated Mark Tobey's first retrospective exhibit and was instrumental in bringing to the United States a series of exhibitions of the decorative arts of Japan, China, and Korea.
While in San Francisco, Willis had helped to show and sell Japanese folk art for Dr. Suetsu Yanagi of the Mingei Kan National Folk Art Museum in Tokyo. In 1951 she went to Japan as a consultant to the Mingei Kan on the quality and marketing of modern folk art. She made her first visit to India on her return trip and collected folk textiles in Bombay. Back in the United States, Willis went to New York to study the Cooper-Union museum's Indian decorative arts collection. On the weekends she went to Boston to study with Georg Swarenski, curator of decorative arts at the Boston Museum.
In 1952 Willis was appointed to the United Nations Technical Assistance Board, having been recommended by the Cooper-Union Museum as a curator and marketer of handcrafts. Her work for the UN focused on stimulating the economic development of handcrafts in India and East Asia through marketing textile and other decorative art products to American and European importers. In November of that year, Willis went to India as an advisor to the government of Uttar Pradesh on the development and preservation of handcrafts.
Willis worked with the All India Handcrafts Board, the Handloom Board, and the Khadi and Village Industries Board to improve and develop crafts production and sales, and in so doing improve the living and working conditions of the craftspeople. Working in Uttar Pradesh, Willis observed many one of a kind techniques and designs in textile creation and helped the local artisans to develop consistent production for export. Willis returned to India several times as a gazetted advisor to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Textile Commissioner, and the All India Handloom Board. Her primary role was to help develop the export business for handloom textiles for all of India, a task that involved visiting hundreds of villages throughout the country, establishing guidelines for quality control, and assisting with technical improvements. Willis also worked on similar missions for the UN in Vietnam, Formosa, and Morocco.
From 1957 to 1965, Willis returned to India many times at her own expense to collect textiles and continue her study of the folk textile industry. Over 1,400 textiles as well as jewelry from Willis's collection were donated to the University of Washington by Willis and her friends Virginia and Prentice Bloedel, who helped to fund several of Willis's later trips to India. This gift started the University's Costume and Textile Study Center, now part of the Henry Art Gallery. Other Willis textiles, artifacts, photographs, and unpublished research are in the National Anthropological Archives and the Cooper-Hewitt Museum.
Willis resided in Bainbridge Island near Seattle for many years and died at the age of 101 in 2003.
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
In the late 1950s, Elizabeth Bayley Willis wanted to travel to the Northeast Frontier Agency (now Arunachal Pradesh). She discussed this in letters to Verrier Elwin (1902-1964) who was a leading expert on the NEFA and an advisor to the government of India. He invited her to visit him in Assam but made it clear that the NEFA was off limits. With a grant from the University of Washington, she traveled to India and met Verrier Elwin in 1959. She collected photographs that Verrier Elwin and Panna Pal had taken in the NEFA, Nagaland, and other parts of northeast India.
Northeast India is an upside-down triangle of seven states (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, and Assam) that is east of Bangladesh, south of Tibet, and west of Myanmar. It is connected to the bulk of India by a small strip of land in West Bengal. Arunachal Pradesh (formerly the Northeast Frontier Agency) did not become a state until 1987. Much of Arunachal Pradesh is disputed territory that is governed by India but claimed by the Chinese who call it South Tibet. Northeast India has close cultural ties to Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar. In the 1950s, it was home to tribal people who wore little or no clothing, modified their bodies with tattoos and piercings, sacrificed animals, decapitated enemies, owned slaves, and had sex with multiple partners. To much of the western world, these tribal people were exotic, primitive, and controversial. Their cultural traditions were recorded by Verrier Elwin and the few other scholars who were allowed to meet them.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Collection contains photographs collected by Elizabeth Bayley Willis, taken by Verrier Elwin and Panna Pal in northeast India in the 1950s documenting various landscapes and ethnic groups. Collection consists of copy prints made by the University of Washington Audio-Visual Production Services from negatives made by IMS. Originals held elsewhere.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
Catalog data from the Smithsonian's Elizabeth Bayley Willis Photographs 1950s-1960s (Photo lot 79-11, Smithsonian Institution National Anthropological Archives) were used in the preparation of this finding aid. The Elizabeth Bayley Willis Papers 1933-1988 (Manuscripts Accession no. 2583-019) contain correspondence between Elizabeth Bayley Willis and Verrier Elwin.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
View selections from the collection in digital format .
Restrictions on Use
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Items are arranged by state, division/district, and ethnic group.
Custodial History
Elizabeth Bayley Willis gave the collection to the Costume and Textiles Study Center at the Henry Art Gallery who gave it to the University of Washington Special Collections.
Acquisition Information
Gift of the Henry Art Gallery, 2002.
Processing Note
Processed by Scott Forland, 2005
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Northeast Frontier Agency (NEFA) portion of Assam now Arunachal Pradesh (Arunachal State)Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Undetermined division or district |
||
Landscape |
||
item | ||
1 | Zula La (Zula Pass) |
circa 1954 |
Kameng Frontier Division now Tawang
District, West Kameng District, and East Kameng District |
||
Landscape |
||
item | ||
2 | View of Karpo La (Karpo Pass) from
Bum La (Bum Pass) with two Buddhist cairns in foreground |
circa 1954 |
3 | Sub-tropical forest and
conifer-covered mountains |
circa 1954 |
4 | Zong La (Zong Pass) near Tawang
looking toward Nyamjangchu |
circa 1954 |
5 | Khong La (Khong Pass) with Buddhist
cairns |
circa 1954 |
6 | Mt. Khenzamane |
circa 1954 |
7 | View of Senge Dzong on way to Se La
(Se Pass) with rhododendrons in foreground |
circa 1954 |
8 | View of Seng Dzong on way to Se La
(Se Pass) |
circa 1954 |
9 | Se La (Se Pass) Lake towards
Tawang |
circa 1954 |
10-11 | Se La (Se Pass) |
circa 1954 |
12 | Dahung River between Dahung and
Senchong |
circa 1954 |
13 | PT Tso Lake? |
circa 1954 |
Multiple or undetermined ethnic groups |
||
item | ||
14 | Two Akha girls dancing, two Miji
girls dancing, and two Akha men playing drum and cymbals, Jamiri
Village |
circa 1954 |
15 | Monpa with headdresses and Akha
without headdresses dancing at coed school |
circa 1954 |
16 | circa 1954 | |
Akha or Aka ethnic group |
||
item | ||
17 | Akha longhouse with tied poles in
front representing number of mithun (bos frontalis) sacrificed, Buragaon
Village |
circa 1954 |
18 | Akha boy with knife, sword, bamboo
hat, and braided bamboo bow guard on left wrist, Buragaon Village |
circa 1954 |
19 | Akha headman, Buragaon Village (20
with different crop) |
circa 1954 |
20 | Akha headman, Buragaon Village (19
with different crop) |
circa 1954 |
21 | Akha rani (female ruler of village)
with tattoo, Lingchong (black pine resin) face paint, silver earplugs, and
Tibetan ornaments standing next to husband with Tibetan felt hat and Tibetan
sword, Jamiri Village |
circa 1954 |
22 | circa 1954 | |
23 | Akha women with silver earplugs and
face paint pounding and winnowing rice, Jamiri Village |
circa 1954 |
24 | Akha brass earring, Jamiri
Village |
circa 1954 |
25 | Tibetan sword owned by Akha, Jamiri
Village |
circa 1954 |
26 | Village council members, Jamiri
Village |
circa 1954 |
27 | Hut in jhum (slash and burn) field
to protect field from animals and provide shelter for workers near Jamiri
Village |
circa 1954 |
28 | Akha boy wearing lingchong (black
pine resin) face paint on lips and bamboo bow guard on left wrist |
circa 1954 |
29 | Akha pole and thatch
granary |
circa 1954 |
30 | Two Akha girls with
ornaments |
circa 1954 |
31 | Akha woman from the back showing
hairstyle and necklaces |
circa 1954 |
32 | Akha warrior with silver headdress,
bear-skin shield, Akha sword, Tibetan Sword, and lingchong (black pine resin)
face paint on cheeks |
circa 1954 |
33 | Akha necklace of sacred Tibetan
stones worn by men and women |
circa 1954 |
34 | Ghanta (Tibetan ritual bell) used
by Akha as status symbol |
circa 1954 |
35 | Akha woman with face tattoos and
silver earplugs |
circa 1954 |
36 | Akha buildings in
village |
circa 1954 |
37 | Akha rani (female ruler of village)
with husband and child, Husigaon |
circa 1954 |
38 | circa 1954 | |
39 | Akha woman with large hoop
earrings, Husigaon |
circa 1954 |
Miji ethnic group |
||
item | ||
40 | Miji woman with face tattoo and
silver earplugs |
circa 1954 |
41 | Miji girls with face tattoos and
silver earplugs |
circa 1954 |
42 | Miji girl with silver
earplugs |
circa 1954 |
Khowa ethnic group |
||
item | ||
43 | Khowa pole and mat house on
piles |
circa 1954 |
44 | Khowa men with silver earplugs,
Tibetan swords, and ornaments |
circa 1954 |
45 | Khowa girl with Tibetan
ornaments |
circa 1954 |
46 | Khowa man with bamboo hat and
Tibetan sword |
circa 1954 |
47 | Khowa girl suffering from trachoma
(eye disease) with face tattoo and ornaments, Sinchong Village |
circa 1954 |
Monpa ethnic group |
||
item | ||
48 | circa 1954 | |
49 | Buddhist lama outside of dzong
(fortified monastery) with prayer wheels and prayer flags, Tawang |
circa 1954 |
50 | circa 1954 | |
51 | Monpa Gelugpa (yellow sect) head
lama of Tawang wearing gold robes and holding mala (prayer beads) |
circa 1954 |
52 | Monpa high lama of Monyul,
Tawang |
circa 1954 |
53 | Monpa woman wearing chuba (Tibetan
robe), wool apron, and Tibetan fur hat, Tawang |
circa 1954 |
54 | circa 1954 | |
55 | Monpa village with cultivated
fields and Tibetan-style houses, Dirang Dzong Village |
circa 1954 |
56 | Upper-class Monpa woman wearing
Tibetan ornaments and felt cap with yak-wool appendages, Dirang Dzong
Village |
circa 1954 |
57 | Woman and child wearing felt caps
with yak-wool appendages, Dirang Dzong Village |
circa 1954 |
58 | Monpa man wearing Tibetan hat and
takin (budorcas taxicolor) robe, Lumla Village |
circa 1954 |
59 | Monpa man wearing felt cap with yak
wool appendages |
circa 1954 |
Sherdukpen ethnic group related to
Monpa |
||
item | ||
60 | circa 1954 | |
61 | Unmarried Sherdukpen woman hiding
her face, Dirang Dzong Village |
circa 1954 |
62 | Sherdukpen woman wearing fabric
with Bhutanese pattern and Tibetan ornaments and Sherdukpen man wearing
Kalimpong hat and Khamba sword, Dirang Dzong Village |
circa 1954 |
63 | Married Sherdukpen woman with
Bhutanese hairstyle, Jabrang Village |
circa 1954 |
64 | Sherdukpen girl with Bhutanese
hairstyle, Jabrang Village |
circa 1954 |
65 | Sherdukpen village with
Tibetan-style houses and prayer flags on poles, Rupa Village |
circa 1954 |
66 | circa 1954 | |
67 | Sherdukpen man wearing deer
mask |
circa 1954 |
68 | Sherdukpen men and boys wearing
costumes and mask for Ajilamu dance |
circa 1954 |
69 | circa 1954 | |
Bangni ethnic group related to
Nishi |
||
item | ||
70 | Bangni women and infants with one
woman braiding a cane anklet on another woman, Nagho Village |
circa 1954 |
Subansiri Frontier Division now Upper
Subansiri District and Lower Subansiri District |
||
Bangni ethnic group related to
Nishi |
||
item | ||
71 | Bangni girls near Sepla or Sepa
Village |
circa 1954 |
Nishi ethnic group |
||
item | ||
72 | Upper-class Nishi priest with podum
(twisted bun) hairstyle wearing Tibetan ornaments and knife, Zoram
Village |
circa 1954 |
73 | Lower-class Nishi man preparing
cane in Apatani village, Hari Village |
circa 1954 |
74 | Nishi prisoner of Apatani with wood
fetter on left ankle, Haja or Ziro Village |
circa 1954 |
Apatani ethnic group |
||
item | ||
75 | Apatani girl with nose plugs and
tattoos carrying basket with tumpline, Ziro Village |
circa 1954 |
76 | Upper-class Apatani women with nose
plugs and face tattoos on porch of bamboo and thatch house, Ziro
Village |
circa 1954 |
77 | Apatani man with ahu-yari (red cane
tail) and woman with rain shield, Ziro Village |
circa 1954 |
78 | Lower-class Apatani woman with nose
plugs and face tattoo filling chunga (bamboo tubes) with water, Ziro
Village |
circa 1954 |
79 | Lower-class Apatani woman with nose
plugs and face tattoo weaving man’s shawl on back-strap loom, Ziro
Village |
circa 1954 |
80 | Upper-class Apatani woman with nose
plugs and face tattoos winnowing rice, Hari Village |
circa 1954 |
81 | circa 1954 | |
82 | Apatani woman with face tattoo,
nose plugs, face tattoo, and lingchong (black pine resin) face paint on chin
carrying cane basket with tumpline, Hari Village |
circa 1954 |
83 | Former Apatani slave with pottery,
Michi Bambin or Michi Bamin Village |
circa 1954 |
84 | Apatani shaman or priest wearing
special headdress preparing sacred water in basket prior to sacrifice, Nigin
Village |
circa 1954 |
85 | Apatani shaman or priest saying
mantras while in trance, Nigin Village |
circa 1954 |
86 | Apatani shaman or priest saying
mantras and sprinkling sacred water on slaughtered pigs, Nigin
Village |
circa 1954 |
87 | Apatani sacrificing mithun (bos
frontalis), Nigin Village |
circa 1954 |
88 | Apatani shaman performing
divination rite with fowl and eggs, Nigin Village |
circa 1954 |
89 | Apatani men catching and binding
mithun (bos frontalis) for sacrifice |
circa 1954 |
90 | circa 1954 | |
91 | Apatani shaman or priest with deer
teeth ornaments |
circa 1954 |
Miri ethnic group |
||
item | ||
92 | circa 1954 | |
93 | Miri women processing millet in
bamboo house, Lomdak Village |
circa 1954 |
94 | Miri woman with cotton skirt, cane
waistband, and cane breast band pounding rice with wood mortar and pestle in
bamboo house, Lomdak Village |
circa 1954 |
95 | Miri hunter with bow, arrow, and
mithun (bos frontalis) shield in tropical jungle, Lomdak Village |
circa 1954 |
96 | Miri woman and child with firewood
in basket with tumpline and shredded cane, Lomdak Village |
circa 1954 |
97 | Yuging (structure of wood poles
with bamboo) where dog will be sacrificed to wiyus (spirits), Lomdak
Village |
circa 1954 |
98 | Miri husband and wife, Tamen
Village |
circa 1954 |
99 | Daporijo Village |
circa 1954 |
100 | Miri men and boy with dao (knife)
on new bridge over Subansiri River, Daporijo Village |
circa 1954 |
101 | Miri man with cane waistband,
sword, and baldric (weapon strap) with amulet of boar teeth and jaw bone set
with cowrie shells and button |
circa 1954 |
Siang Frontier Division now West Siang
District and East Siang District |
||
Landscape |
||
item | ||
102 | Mountains, Northern
Siang |
circa 1954 |
103 | Cane bridge over Kumsing River
between Sibum and Padu above Along |
circa 1954 |
104 | Vine and cane suspension bridge
over Siken River to Bogu |
circa 1954 |
105 | Jhum (slash and burn) fields and
Siang River between Kopu and Gelling near Tuting |
circa 1954 |
Multiple or undetermined ethnic groups |
||
item | ||
106 | circa 1954 | |
Adi ethnic group |
||
item | ||
107 | Adi shaman in red coat and Adi
girls participating in Ponuing (Ballad) ceremony or Pondong (dance by girls) at
Administration Headquarters, Along |
circa 1954 |
108 | Adi warrior basket with boar
tusks |
circa 1954 |
109 | Adi cane helmet with bear fur and
boar tusks |
circa 1954 |
110 | Adi thatch huts in grain field with
clappers to frighten birds |
circa 1954 |
Tagin Adi ethnic subgroup |
||
item | ||
111 | Tagin boy with mithun (bos
frontalis) vest, bamboo and mithun (bos frontalis) shield, cowrie belt, bamboo
penis shield, cane arm shield, Tibetan hat, and Tibetan sword |
circa 1954 |
112 | Tagin man wearing Tibetan robe and
hat with bear skin, Rigo (near Mechuka) |
circa 1954 |
Gallong Adi ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
113 | Gallong bamboo suspension bridge
over stream between Koyu and Rotte |
circa 1954 |
114 | Gallong man with takin (budorcas
taxicolor) coat and dao (knife) standing next to Gallong wife with white cotton
skirt and Tibetan beads, Liromba Village |
circa 1954 |
115 | Gallong man wearing hat with great
Indian hornbill (dichoceros bicornis) head, Koyu Village |
circa 1954 |
116 | Gallong multi-family thatch
longhouse, Ledum Village |
circa 1954 |
117 | Gallong men building bamboo
longhouse, Ledum Village |
circa 1954 |
118 | Gallong men constructing Apong
(banana-leaf-lined basket for making beer) for festival, Balleck or Ballek
Village |
circa 1954 |
119 | Gallong men and boys constructing
bamboo structure over grave, Tene Village |
circa 1954 |
120 | Gallong warriors wearing takin
(budorcas taxicolor) or mithun (bos frontalis) vests, amulets, swords, and cane
hats with monkey fur, boar tusks, and great Indian hornbill (dichoceros
bicornis) beaks |
circa 1954 |
Ashing Adi ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
121 | Young Ashing woman with pipe and
Tibetan beads, Rapum Village |
circa 1954 |
122 | Young Ashing woman with cane
waistbands and cane anklets, Rapum Village |
circa 1954 |
123 | Ashing girl weaving on back-strap
loom, Bomdo Village |
circa 1954 |
124 | Ashing boy |
circa 1954 |
Bokar Adi ethnic subgroup |
||
item | ||
125 | Young Bokar man with bamboo hat,
Manigaon Village |
circa 1954 |
126 | Bokar men with pipes, cane hats,
and Tibetan swords, Manigaon Village |
circa 1954 |
Bori Adi ethnic subgroup |
||
item | ||
127 | Bori man with Tibetan ornaments,
Taigaon Village |
circa 1954 |
128 | Bori man with monkey-fur hat, bark
armor, Tibetan ornaments, and pipe |
circa 1954 |
Pangi Adi ethnic subgroup |
||
item | ||
129 | Pangi man with cane hat, deer-fur
earrings, pipe, leather tobacco pouch, and dao (knife) |
circa 1954 |
Karko Adi ethnic subgroup |
||
item | ||
130 | Young Karko man with monkey-fur
earrings and safety pin on necklace |
circa 1954 |
Milang Adi ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
131 | Milang ang (chief) with sword,
scabbard, Tibetan ornaments, and cane helmet decorated with bear fur and boar
tusks |
circa 1954 |
132 | Milang woman cooking with teapot
and brass vessels in longhouse with drying rack above fire |
circa 1954 |
Shimong Adi ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
133 | circa 1954 | |
Pasi Adi ethnic subgroup |
||
item | ||
134 | Pasi man carrying bow and arrows
tipped with poisonous aconite paste |
circa 1954 |
135 | Old Pasi man carrying firewood in
basket with tumpline |
circa 1954 |
Padam Adi ethnic subgroup |
||
item | ||
136 | Young Padam woman husking rice with
log mortar and pestle, Mirem Village |
circa 1954 |
137 | Young Padam woman with ornaments,
Pasighat |
circa 1954 |
138 | Padam man with sword |
circa 1954 |
139 | Young Padam woman |
circa 1954 |
140 | Padam girl carrying infant on back
with tumpline |
circa 1954 |
Minyong Adi ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
141 | Minyong man wearing leopard skin
and headdress of black-barred-hornbill feathers holding bow and arrows, Rengin
Village |
circa 1954 |
142 | circa 1954 | |
143 | Minyong woman spinning yarn and
carrying baskets with tumplines, Yambang Village near Along |
circa 1954 |
144 | Young Minyong woman, Yambang
Village near Along |
circa 1954 |
145 | Minyong woman winnowing grain with
dog nearby |
circa 1954 |
Pailibo Adi ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
146 | Pailibo man with fishing gear
including snares and traps |
circa 1954 |
147 | Pailibo warrior with sword, bow,
bamboo quiver |
circa 1954 |
Memba ethnic group |
||
item | ||
148 | circa 1954 | |
149 | Two-story Memba Tibetan-style
library fallen into decay, Gelling Village |
circa 1954 |
150 | Memba women filling chunga (bamboo
tubes), Gelling Village |
circa 1954 |
151 | Memba lama, Tuting |
circa 1954 |
Tibetan ethnic group |
||
item | ||
152 | Young Tibetan woman from Lampu,
Tibet |
circa 1954 |
153 | Tibetan girl from Lampu,
Tibet |
circa 1954 |
Khamba ethnic group |
||
item | ||
154 | Images of Khamba masked clowns
Arakacho and wife performing in ceremony, Yang Sang Chu Valley near Mankhota or
Mangkota Village |
circa 1954 |
Lohit Frontier Divistion now Dibang
Valley District and Lohit District |
||
Idu Mishmi ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
155 | Idu woman wearing wool coat with
Tibetan print and Tibetan Necklace |
circa 1954 |
156 | Idu man wearing wool coat with
Tibetan print, Tibetan necklace, and takin (budorcas taxicolor) hat |
circa 1954 |
157 | Idu man lifting bamboo
pole |
circa 1954 |
158 | Idu women with Tibetan ornaments
(woman kneeling is the same as the woman in 159), Elopa Village |
circa 1954 |
159 | Idu woman with infant in sling
(woman is the same as the woman kneeling in 158), Elopa Village |
circa 1954 |
Digaru or Taraon Mishmi ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
160 | Digaru priestess beating drum to
invoke tutelary spirit before going into trance, Tezu Village |
circa 1954 |
161 | Digaru priestess beating drum prior
to invoking spirits, Tezu Village |
circa 1954 |
162 | Digaru women winnowing grain,
Badaro or Bodaro Village |
circa 1954 |
163 | Digaru woman with
earplugs |
circa 1954 |
164 | Digaru priestess with opium
pipe |
circa 1954 |
165 | Digaru man and woman, Dreye
Village |
circa 1954 |
Kaman Mishmi ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
166 | Kaman woman with pipe, silver
headband, coin necklace, metal neck rings, and Tibetan silver amulet to hold
prayers, Bodard Village in Khamlang Valley |
circa 1954 |
167 | Kaman men, Khamlang or Dibang
Valley |
circa 1954 |
168 | Kaman woman wearing earplugs and
yunnan coin necklace, Walong |
circa 1954 |
Khampti ethnic group |
||
item | ||
169 | Khampti boy in Burmese-style
costume striking gong, Chowkham Village |
circa 1954 |
Tirap Frontier Division now Changlang
District and Tirap District |
||
Multiple or undetermined ethnic groups |
||
item | ||
170 | Two Nocte men wearing plaid
loincloths on left and two Tangsa men wearing white loincloths on right, Hoakam
Village |
circa 1954 |
171 | Village with Nocte or Tangsa bamboo
mat houses with thatch roofs |
circa 1954 |
172 | Wancho or Nocte bride with tattoos,
beaded crown, great Indian hornbill (dichoceros bicornis) feathers, and skirt
added just for photograph, Senua Village |
circa 1954 |
Tangsa ethnic group |
||
item | ||
173 | Tangsa man in Burmese style outfit
with sword, Changlang Village |
circa 1954 |
174 | Officials and families in Changlang
headquarters wearing white clothes to cover costumes and jhapi hats from Shan
Burma (Myanmar), Changlang Village |
circa 1954 |
175 | Tangsa woman spinning with lakli
(spindle), Changlang Village |
circa 1954 |
176 | Tangsa man with hair in topknot
carrying gun, Changlang Village |
circa 1954 |
177 | Tangsa girl wearing silver
bracelets and necklaces of coins and beads, Changlang Village |
circa 1954 |
178 | Tangsa grave effigy protected by
thatch hut, Changlang Village |
circa 1954 |
179 | Tangsa man with hair in topknot,
Changlang Village |
circa 1954 |
180 | Tangsa girl dancers and singers
with gongs, Changlang Village |
circa 1954 |
181 | Tangsa platform house with thatch
roof, Changlang Village |
circa 1954 |
182 | View from road to Changlang showing
Marghereita |
circa 1954 |
183 | Headquarters of Tirap
administration with tractor and jeep, Khela Village |
circa 1954 |
184 | Tangsa girl carrying chunga (bamboo
tubes) in basket, Khela Village |
circa 1954 |
185 | Tangsa girls wearing crystal
earrings husking rice with log mortar and pestle, Khela Village |
circa 1954 |
186 | Tangsa wearing dance costumes at
Aministration Headquarters |
circa 1954 |
Yogli Tangsa ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
187 | Yogli man wearing hat decorated
with boar tusks, human hair, and great Indian hornbill (dichoceros bicornis)
feather beating drum |
circa 1954 |
Lungri Tangsa ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
188 | Lungri woman and others including
child blinded by trachoma (eye disease) near pole house with mithun (bos
frontalis) skulls |
circa 1954 |
189 | Lungri women spinning and rolling
cotton |
circa 1954 |
Moklum Tangsa ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
190 | Moklum woman winnowing grain with
basket |
circa 1954 |
Nocte ethnic group |
||
item | ||
191 | Nocte man with arm tattoo, hat with
boar’s tusk and goat hair, cane waistband, and spear with goat and human hair,
Kheti Village |
circa 1954 |
192 | Unmarried Nocte girl, Lapnam
Village |
circa 1954 |
193 | Old Nocte woman with arm tattoos
holding child, Lapnam Village |
circa 1954 |
194 | Married Nocte woman with arm
tattoos, Lapnam Village |
circa 1954 |
195 | Nocte man with gun and shoulder bag
on verandah of thatch house, Khonsa Village |
circa 1954 |
196 | Nocte men with cane waistbands,
shoulder bags, and dao (knife) |
circa 1954 |
197 | Nocte man with gun, dao (knife),
and great Indian hornbill (dichoceros bicornis) feather indicating that he has
decapitated someone |
circa 1954 |
198 | Nocte man with plastic doll head
indicating that he has decapitated someone |
circa 1954 |
199 | Nocte buildings, Laju
Village |
circa 1954 |
Wancho ethnic group |
||
item | ||
200 | Wancho Ang’s (chief’s) daughters
dressing their hair with split bamboo bands, cloth, and metallic thread,
Pongchow Village (side view) |
circa 1954 |
201 | circa 1954 | |
202 | Wancho ang (chief) wearing
head-hunter necklace carrying gun and dao (knife), Pongchow Village |
circa 1954 |
203 | Wancho Ang’s (chief’s) daughter
wearing blue necklaces and armlets that can only be worn by Ang’s family,
Pongchow Village |
circa 1954 |
204 | Wancho boy and Ang’s (chief’s)
longhouse, Pongchow Village |
circa 1954 |
205 | Wancho woman with children
winnowing millet with basket, Pongchow Village |
circa 1954 |
206 | Wancho ang (chief) beating kong
(log drum), Pongchow Village |
circa 1954 |
207 | Wancho warrior sitting with dao
(knife), Pongchow Village |
circa 1954 |
208 | Wancho ang (chief) and sons beating
kong (log drum), Pongchow Village |
circa 1954 |
209 | Wancho man’s cane waistband,
Pongchow Village |
circa 1954 |
210 | Wancho man with bamboo waistband
carrying wood, Pongchow Village |
circa 1954 |
211 | Wancho ang (chief) with chest
tattoo, two-hand headhunter board, dao (knife), and gun, Khanu or Konnu
Village |
circa 1954 |
212 | Wancho man wearing red cloth and
basket traditionally used for carrying human heads, Ninu or Minu
Village |
circa 1954 |
213 | Wancho warrior with orchid leaf in
earplug and bamboo around neck as talisman for successful hunt carrying gun and
dao (knife), Lu Banfera Village |
circa 1954 |
214 | Wancho warrior holding dao (knife)
wearing four hornbill feathers indicating that he has decapitated four people,
Niausa Village (same as 215 but with stain on left side) |
circa 1954 |
215 | Wancho warrior holding dao (knife)
and wearing four hornbill feathers indicating that he has decapitated four
people, Niausa Village (same as 214 but with no stain on left side) |
circa 1954 |
216 | Jhum (slash and burn) fields on
hills surrounding Niausa Village |
circa 1954 |
217 | Wancho girl carrying chunga (bamboo
tubes) in basket with tumpline, Niausa Village |
circa 1954 |
218 | Wancho woman tattooing chief's
daughter above the knee to indicate readiness for marriage (same girl in 219
and 220), Niausa Village |
circa 1954 |
219 | Wancho chief's daughter with teeth
blackened from chewing betel nut (same girl in 218 and 220), Niausa
Village |
circa 1954 |
220 | Wancho Ang’s (chief’s) daughter
wearing bead marriage hat or crown (same girl in 218 and 219) |
circa 1954 |
221 | Wancho ang's (chief's) old wife
making beer (apong) with chunga (bamboo tube), Niausa Village |
circa 1954 |
222 | Wancho man in warrior costume with
bear fur carrying gun and dao (knife), Longkhow Village |
circa 1954 |
223 | Wood seated man carved by Wancho
boy |
circa 1954 |
224 | Upper-class Wancho girl with
exposed right thigh indicating that she is not the chief’s daughter carrying
basket with tumpline |
circa 1954 |
225 | Two tattooed Wancho women carrying
baskets with tumplines and reaping millet |
circa 1954 |
226 | Wancho man and woman harvesting
millet with hills deforested by jhum (slash and burn) |
circa 1954 |
227 | Wancho men clearing jungle in
preparation for jhum (slash and burn) |
circa 1954 |
228 | Wancho woman harvesting arum roots
with child and basket with tumpline |
circa 1954 |
229 | Wancho men working in
field |
circa 1954 |
230 | Wancho women collecting water in
chunga (bamboo tubes) at village water point |
circa 1954 |
231 | Pregnant Wancho woman carrying
water in chunga (bamboo tubes) in basket with tumplines |
circa 1954 |
232 | Upper-class Wancho girl, Wancho
chief’s daughter, and former slave with shaved head pounding rice with pestles
in log mortar with thatch houses |
circa 1954 |
233 | Lower-class Wancho woman with
children |
circa 1954 |
234 | Wancho man wearing basket with
mithun (bos frontalis) horn, human hair, and bamboo shavings |
circa 1954 |
235 | Wancho bamboo and pole grave with
fruit and vegetable offerings |
circa 1954 |
236 | Wancho priest performing a
divination ceremony before planting a new jhum (slash and burn)
field |
circa 1954 |
237 | Wancho morung (dormitory for
unmarried men) |
circa 1954 |
238 | Wancho dao (knife) |
circa 1954 |
239 | Wancho woman’s bangles or armlets
only worn by chief’s family |
circa 1954 |
240-241 | Wancho man’s loincloth |
circa 1954 |
242 | Two Wancho men’s ivory
armlets |
circa 1954 |
243 | Wancho women’s skirt with red,
yellow, black, and white lines |
circa 1954 |
244 | Wancho wood carving of seated
man |
circa 1954 |
245 | Wancho girl threshing millet (same
girl in 246) |
circa 1954 |
246 | Wancho girl threshing millet (same
girl in 245) |
circa 1954 |
Naga portion of Assam now Nagaland StateReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Undetermined division or district |
||
Phom Naga ethnic subgroup |
||
item | ||
247 | Phom warrior with hornbill feather,
head-hunter necklace, and spear |
circa 1954 |
248 | Phom warrior with head-hunter chest
tattoo, hornbill feather, head-hunter necklace, and spear |
circa 1954 |
249 | circa 1954 | |
250 | Phom wood carving of
animal |
circa 1954 |
251 | Three Phom ceramic
pitchers |
circa 1954 |
Sangtam Naga ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
252 | Sangtam boy cutting steps in log
with dao (knife) |
circa 1954 |
253 | Old Sangtam warrior in ceremonial
costume with hornbill hat |
circa 1954 |
Kalyo-Kengyu Naga ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
254 | Kalyo-Kengyu warrior wearing cane
hat with bear fur, boar tusks, and tiger claws |
circa 1954 |
Chakhesang Naga ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
255 | Chakhesang warrior with cowrie
shell sash, loincloth, belt with brass shield, and disc earrings |
circa 1954 |
Tuensang District now Mon District and
Tuensang District |
||
Landscape |
||
item | ||
256 | Sutsu River near
Tuensang |
circa 1954 |
Multiple or undetermined ethnic groups |
||
item | ||
257 | Young son of Wancho or Konyak ang’s
(chief’s) son wearing blue ornaments that can only be worn by ang's (chief's)
family, Nyasi Village |
circa 1954 |
Naga ethnic group |
||
item | ||
258 | Konyak or Lhota people wearing
buffalo horns and feathers dancing in ceremony |
circa 1954 |
Konyak Naga ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
259 | Son of great ang (chief) with
headhunter chest tattoo, Mon Village |
circa 1954 |
260 | Konyak headhunter skull shelf, Mon
Village |
circa 1954 |
261 | Mithun (bos frontalis) skulls at
the home of the great ang (chief), Mon Village |
circa 1954 |
262-263 | Two Ben-class (commoner-class)
Konyak women of carrying chunga (bamboo tubes) in baskets with tumplines near
pole longhouses with thatched roofs, Mon Village |
circa 1954 |
264 | Mon Village |
circa 1954 |
265 | Ben-class (commoner-class) Konyak
man with head-hunter necklace and medicine-stopper earplugs, Mon
Village |
circa 1954 |
266 | circa 1954 | |
267 | Konyak great ang (chief) wearing
burmese tiger robe and holding whisk and spear in front of Menhir commemorating
conquest and site of ritual sacrafice, Mon Village |
circa 1954 |
268 | Konyak ang (chief) with carved
longhouse, gun, and dao (knife), Sangnyu Village |
circa 1954 |
269 | Konyak girl with ornaments, Sangnyu
Village (same girl in 270) |
circa 1954 |
270 | Konyak girl with ornaments, Sangnyu
Village (same girl in 269) |
circa 1954 |
271 | Konyak chief and two of his wives
with bamboo houses, Sangnyu village |
circa 1954 |
272 | Konyak buildings, Sangnyu
Village |
circa 1954 |
273 | Konyak girl with blackened teeth
carrying basket with tumpline, Nyasi Village |
circa 1954 |
274 | Commoner-class Konyak woman with
tattoos, child, and basket, Nyasi Village |
circa 1954 |
Chang Naga ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
275 | circa 1954 | |
276 | Carved wood pole with Chang symbols
in front of Tuensnag craft center built with plaster covered poles and mud with
teak timbers and corrugated metal to withstand earthquakes |
circa 1954 |
277 | Chang ang (chief) with three-headed
headhunter necklace, tiger skin, and elephant tusks taken in hunts, Bangnyu
Village |
circa 1954 |
278 | Chang man with headhunter chest
tattoo, headhunter necklace, ear plugs, and cowrie-shell belt |
circa 1954 |
279 | Grave of Chang warrior with wood
effigies, hand-woven red and black shawl, and other possessions |
circa 1954 |
Sema Naga ethnic subgroup |
||
item | ||
280 | Sema man with headhunter tattoos
and lock of human hair in left ear |
circa 1954 |
281 | Two Sema men (one in traditional
costume and one in modern costume) and pole and thatch longhouse |
circa 1954 |
282 | Sema people participating in
district morung (dormitory for unmarried men) battle game using tin cans and
shields at administrative center |
circa 1954 |
283 | circa 1954 | |
Kohima District now Kohima District,
Dimapur District, and Phek District |
||
Landscape |
||
item | ||
284 | WWII cemetery |
circa 1954 |
Rengma Naga ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
285 | Eastern Rengma dancing at
festival |
circa 1954 |
286 | Eastern Rengma woman carrying child
and chunga (bamboo tube) in basket with tumpline |
circa 1954 |
Angami Naga ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
287 | Angami warrior wearing elephant
tusk amulets and feathers with background removed by hand |
circa 1954 |
288 | Angami men in warrior dress
including hornbill-feather headdresses on Republic Day |
circa 1954 |
Mokokchung District now Kokokchung
District, Wokha District, and Zunhenboto Distirict |
||
Lhota Naga ethnic
subgroup |
||
item | ||
289 | Two Lotha warriors, Ungma
village |
circa 1954 |
290 | Lotha warrior with hornbill feather
in bear-fur hat, boar-tusk necklace, goat-hair sash, spear, and dao (knife),
Ungma village |
circa 1954 |
Ao naga ethnic subgroup |
||
item | ||
291 | Ao kong (log drum), Merangkong
Village |
circa 1954 |
292 | Painted head on Ao kong (log drum),
Merangkong Village |
circa 1954 |
293 | Young Ao woman in traditional
chaddar (shawl) with plank door of longhouse, Yumchangr Village |
circa 1954 |
294 | Ao bamboo houses and children,
Yamchungr Village |
circa 1954 |
295 | circa 1954 | |
296 | Ao man drinking zu (rice beer) from
polished horn |
circa 1954 |
297 | Ao Dak Bungalow (traveler’s rest
house) with wood carvings traditionally used for Morung (dormitory for
unmarried men) near Makokchung |
circa 1954 |
Meghalaya portion of Assam now Meghalaya StateReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Garo Hills District now West Garo Hills
District and East Garo Hills District |
||
Garo ethnic group |
||
item | ||
298 | Garo woman with infant in
sling |
circa 1954 |
299 | Garo man in warrior costume with
sword and cane shield, Garo Hills |
circa 1954 |
300 | Garo men and girls dancing to
flutes, drums and harmonica while recounting tribal legends |
circa 1954 |
Khasi and Jaintia Hills District now
West Khasi Hills District, East Khasi Hills District, and Jaintia Hills
District |
||
Lalung ethnic group |
||
item | ||
301 | Lalung woman and child with
rain-shield basket with tumpline near thatch house, Khasi and Jaintia
Hills |
circa 1954 |
Mikir ethnic group |
||
item | ||
302 | Mikir woman with dao (knife) and
basket with tumpline |
circa 1954 |
303 | Mikir man with bag and
flute |
circa 1954 |
Khasi ethnic group |
||
item | ||
304 | Khasi woman with hand-woven cloak
and basket near Shillong |
circa 1954 |
305 | Khasi man in front of building near
Shillong |
circa 1954 |
Nepali ethnic group |
||
item | ||
306 | Nepali Gurkha woman with infant
near Shillong |
circa 1954 |
Manipur StateReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Imphal |
||
Meithei ethnic group |
||
item | ||
307 | Meithei dancers portraying Krishna
and Radha in Ras Lila Ceremony |
circa 1954 |
West Bengal StateReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Now Darjeeling District |
||
Nepali ethnic group |
||
item | ||
308 | Nepali bride |
circa 1954 |
Sherpa ethnic group |
||
item | ||
309 | Old Sherpa man with mani wheel
(prayer wheel) and mala (prayer beads) |
circa 1954 |
310 | Sherpa girl from Khumba
Region |
circa 1954 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Adi (Indic people)--Photographs
- Akha (Asian people)--Photographs
- Apatani (Indic people)--Photographs
- Costume--India--Photographs
- Miri (Indic people)--Photographs
- Mishmi (Indic people)--Photographs
- Monpa (Indic people)--Photographs
- Naga (South Asian people)--Photographs
- Sherdukpen (Indic people)--Photographs
- Tangsa (Indic people)--Photographs
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
- Wancho (Indic people)--Photographs
Geographical Names
- Arunāchal Pradesh (India)--Photographs
- India, Northeastern--Social life and customs--Photographs
- Manipur (India)--Photographs
- Meghalaya (India)--Photographs
- Nāgāland (India)--Photographs
- West Bengal (India)--Photographs
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Elwin, Verrier, 1902-1964 (photographer)
- Pal, Panna (photographer)