1872.] iV%a villages. 137 



'■ They are far more singular, ruder, wilder, and savage, also more cut up 

 and given to fighting than the tribes towards the Lushai frontier. Indeed, 

 east and west of a large tract opposite me, the tribes gradually rise in civi- 

 lization. Fifty miles east there is little fighting ; the villages are built in 

 close rows of houses, shewing their sense of security, with the eaves almost 

 touching, and no jungle about at all. 



' This same style prevails 50 miles West of me, and also I see at Lushai 

 villages. But opposite me it is all totally different, for some 30 or 4dO tribes 

 or more. These build their houses scattered about on a craggy peak that 

 is naturally nearly inaccessible, and has but one or two pathways. In 

 every village therefore, only 2 or 3, or at most 4 , houses can be seen at once 

 and a hunt has to be made for them as it were, leaving ample ambuscade 

 all around from which to surprise any attacking party. A scattered village, 

 therefore, is not only more defensible, but more difiicult to attack, loot, and 

 fire. 



' To illustrate my meaning I send a sketch outline of the Kulun Miitons' 

 Chang, and have tinted the roofs visible from the plains with yellow ochre. 

 Such a village as this, is quite invulnerable to iSfdgds, and would be far 

 more difficult for us to attack and take than those Lushai villages evidently 

 were. This village comprises the entire sub-tribe, and is of great extent. To 

 take and ransack such a place in a short time would be simply impossible. 

 And at the slightest alarm, every soul could be instantly secure and in- 

 visible. A much larger force would be needed to surround it, in fact that 

 would be also impossible, and thus there would be plenty of time to rally, 

 and ground to rally on, if an attack were made on any point. 



' About the tattoo marks, you say that in Col. Dalton's book there is 

 a Naga chief from south of Sibsagar who is not tattooed. I only 

 know of one tribe, and by hearsay too, that does not tattoo in some 

 way. Some tribes do not tattoo on the face ; but it is general all over 

 the Hills near me for the reasons assigned. The proof indeed is clear enough, 

 because there are exceptional cases of untattooed Nagas here and there — men 

 who have not got a head, or men who are cowards naturally, or may have 

 been warned by their bad luck, when tried by eggs, that they would get 

 killed themselves. 



' Lads are often untattooed till the age of eighteen and twenty, but 

 seldom untattooed after that age. 



' Among the Angamis I cannot say if tattooing is common or not. 

 Nor can I say if the.Rengma Nagas do or the Sat u Nagas. The Nagas 

 east of the Dihing River do not tattoo, I thine:, neither do they take heads. 

 They are under the Singphus, who are responsible to us for their good 

 behaviour. 



'As to the Nagani (PI. YI of the Journal) being too good looking, 



