Exhibit of the week- 162 (06th to 12th July 2023)

Exhibit of the week- 162
(06th to 12th July 2023)

GUMHRO NHTU
A sword of pride and dignity

Gumhro Nhtu is a sword belonging to the Singpho tribe of Assam. It is used by the male members mostly at the time of the marriage ceremony as a symbol of pride and dignity. It has a wooden handle and a scabbard cover with a white metal case. The handle is decorated in a wired pattern and ends in the form of a fluted bud. The white metal of the scabbard is decorated with red, green, and yellow floral artwork. Besides marriage, the male who visits the house of the dead for a mourning ceremony carries this sword as a gesture of respect to the inmates. The Singpho of the Inthong village from where this sword is collected believe that the sword of this kind was introduced by the Tai Phake, a Buddhist tribe and they started using the sword after the adoption of Buddhism. Traditionally, Singpho tribe has their own traditional sword called NHTU NINGANG.

Acc.no. 2019.142
Local Name- GUMHRO NHTU, a sword of pride and dignity
Community- Singpho
Locality- Tinsukia, Assam

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