The Naga hill people of Northeast India

3rd February 2025

Before Indian Independence in 1947, the Naga hill people of Northeast India were considered an exotic society, radically different in culture and beliefs from the better-known Hindu peoples of the plains and renowned for their fierce resistance to British rule. The region of Nagaland was closed to all visitors until 2011, due to inter-warring tribes and a national fight for independence. During that time, only the most intrepid travellers were granted passes to visit the area.

Thousands of small Naga villages, perched on isolated hill spurs were often different from each other. They adopted different political systems and spoke more than a dozen languages, displaying both unity and diversity in their dress and ornament. Their vibrant material culture across textiles, basketry, jewellery, weapons, metalwork and carvings was fastidiously documented in historical and anthropological context in the book, ‘The Nagas – Hill Peoples of Northeast India’ by Julian Jacobs – first published in 1990 by publisher Hansjörg Mayer.

Lot 35 is part of the personal collection of 180 lots consigned by Hansjörg Mayer, included in the upcoming Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas | Antiquities sale on Wednesday 19th February and carries a pre-sale estimate of £1,500-£2,000 (before fees). The collection of both everyday and ceremonial items comprises of beads, shields, hats and headdresses, spears and baskets.

This impressively sized Naga woman’s necklace with carnelian beads, blue glass, brass bell pendants and shell pieces, would have conveyed high status to the wearer. Carnelian beads came from Cambay in Gujarat some 2,500km southwest of Nagaland and their rarity in the Naga region, along with the scale of the piece, would have lent it significant value, equally cherished by the international collecting community.

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