Myanmarpedia: Lahe

The small town of Lahe, looking down "main street" and up towards the older traditional Naga village on the hill.

The first groups of visiting Naga tribes assembles near the Festival grounds in preparation of the opening ceremonies.

One group of Naga males in full regalia, including shorts and tennis shoes provided by the local government authorities. Note: As seen in my earlier photos of Naga tribes trekking towards Lahe, these people do not normally wear these "uniform" shorts and shoes. The local authorities have made the unfortunate decision to cloth the "heathen savages" to protect the delicate eyes of western tourists during this Festival. The Nagas accepted this as they get to keep the clothes, but without this government intrusion, they would have not worn these shorts and shoes and would have been attired in their normal loincloths or other ceremonial dress. At least the rest of their attire is traditional. Pounya tribe.

he ritual post is pushed into place using long bamboo poles. Hanging from the end is a large gourd, a veiled reference to heads taken in the past.

A large group of various Naga tribes, in a sea of hornbill feathers, sit waiting for local dignitaries to make their speeches. Boring!!

During the Festival, the assembled tribes compete in dance, singing, and athletic competitions. And of course, "Best Dressed" categories. Lainong or Nokaw, Tsaplaw village.

Another group of women line up in their ceremonial dress. Makuri, Tamanthi village

"The White Shirts" make their entrance! Upper Konyak.

Heimi girls show off their finest"

The small town of Lahe, looking down "main street" and up towards the older traditional Naga village on the hill.

Great necklaces!! Shells, bronze bells, plaques, beads, brass heads, and tiger teeth. Nokaw tribe

A woman from Lahe, wearing her best necklaces and sporting some nice facial tattoos. Lainong tribe

Now this face is great! Beautiful tattoos, earplugs made with horn, wood and shell hair plank, and a nice hat with boar tusks. Lower Konyak or Wancho tribe

Two Naga girls in full ceremonial regalia (both back and front views). Pangmi or Hashik tribe.
Two Naga girls in full ceremonial regalia (both back and front views). Pangmi or Hashik tribe.

Some beautiful faces of the local children enjoying the festivities. Their cheeks are covered with "Tanaka" a local paste believed to lighten the skin.

After leaving the Lahe area, we traveled back to Khamti and then down the Chindwin River to Mandalay (a five day trip). This is the first time westerners have been allowed passage down the Chindwin (since before WWII). Along the way, we stopped at the village of Pah Pouh and visited another group of the Tangkhul that had migrated from the Indian border area. Shown are three recent ritual festival posts.

A close-up of the central post show various Naga motifs, including (from bottom, up): a buffalo (or mithan); a Naga warrior; a band representing a belt; a symbol of the ritual blade used for sacrificing the buffalo; crossed spears; another image of the ritual blade; another buffalo; and a band representing a headdress. Note: This village was rebuilt atop an earlier Naga village. The new residents found several buried clay jars that contained human remains and ritual objects scattered throughout the area. One of the ritual objects was a very ancient iron blade, exactly like the ones shown on the post.