Vikiye Sumi: Naga Warrior (Photo)

This historical photograph depicts Vikiye of Sakhai, a Sema (Sumi) Naga warrior from the Naga Hills, which is present-day Nagaland, India. The handwritten caption "Sema - Vikiye of Sakhai" indicates his tribe and village.

Vikiye is traditionally dressed in warrior attire, with ceremonial headgear featuring hornbill feathers, shell armlets,  holding a spear and a dao, signifying his warrior status.

The photographer is John Henry Hutton, a British anthropologist and colonial administrator who served as Deputy Commissioner of the Naga Hills during British rule. Hutton documented many tribes of the Naga Hills and authored works such as "The Sema Nagas" (1921) and "The Angami Nagas" (1921).

This photo may have been taken for anthropological purposes, and it reflects the colonial-era ethnographic style where subjects were photographed in profile to document cultural dress and posture.

While the exact date of this specific photograph is not listed, Hutton's known photographic expeditions were most active during 1916–1920, particularly in documenting Sema (Sumi) tribes for his 1921 book "The Sema Nagas." Thus, a likely date range is circa 1916–1918.

Photo: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford

Courtesy: Chamdil Times W/A

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