Khujli Ghar:
Some villages in Nagaland are trying to revive a traditional form of punishment
What is Khujli Ghar?
- It is a cramped, triangular cage made from the logs of an indigenous tree that irritates the skin.
- It is a traditional form of punishment that seeks to check crime.
- Some villages in Nagaland are trying to revive this form of punishment.
- Such itchy cages are referred to as khujli ghar in Nagamese.
- But each Naga community has its own name. The Aos, one of the major tribes of Nagaland, call it Shi-ki which means flesh-house.
- The cage is usually placed at a central spot in the village, usually in front of the morung, or bachelor’s dormitory, for the inmate to be in full public view.
- The cage is made of the logs of Masang-fung, a local tree that people avoid because of the irritation it causes.
- It does not affect the palm but people who make the cages have to be careful.
