Seducer's hip ornament

Chakhesang Naga people, India

Collected and donated by J.P. Mills in 1930; 1928.69.1306

This ornament is made of two long string tassels, tied at one end with coloured yarn. It was worn on the hip to indicate that the wearer has had sexual intercourse with two women – other than his wife – on the same night.

For many Naga communities, sex is not something a positive act that brings the individual into contact with fertility, an important concept in Naga culture. Fertility can be explained as a kind of life force or quality, which can be channelled and influenced by the actions of an individual. Having fertility at one's disposal could bring abundant crops and therefore wealth to the farmer, but also success in battle and sexual prowess. Fertility was regarded as self-perpetuating – it could be transformed into food and drink at feasts in order to produce more fertility. Therefore possession of the quality of fertility afforded high status, and having multiple lovers showed that a man had good contact with fertility and was considered a positive, even commendable thing.

Sexual success was advertised to the wider community in various ways. Among the Angami Naga, ornaments like this were worn or sexual carvings might be hung in the male dormitories (called morungs). The Konyak Naga, put small stones next to the large ones commemorating the dead, to show how many lovers the deceased had. The Eastern Rengma did the same with reeds stuck in the ground next to burial platforms.

Such ornaments and grave decorations were only for men; it was not thought proper for women to advertise their sexual prowess to the wider world.