Traditional Ornament as Everyday Objects in Select Folktales of the Nagas of Northeast India

This article aims to understand the significance of traditional ornaments in folktales as everyday objects and how they intersect with the hierarchical status in the community within the Naga tribes of Northeast India. Selecting five folktales, such as Dancing with Feathers and Teeth, Kurupe Hair, Echuli Vantamu, The Horned King, and The Carnelian Necklace, provides a helpful way of conceptualising the integral role of traditional ornaments in their daily lives. This paper undertakes a textual analysis of the folktales and applies Judy Attfield’s concept of “material culture of everyday life” to foreground the intertwining of traditional ornaments with the social hierarchy, which is integral to the daily lives of the community. Examining traditional ornaments’ crafting, meaning and roles as portrayed in folktales contributes to their relationship with the material culture, embodying a dynamic balance between tradition and modernity.