UPSC Articles
Khujli Ghar: Nagaland’s traditional form of punishment
Part of: GS Prelims and GS – I- Culture/ Society
In news
- Some villages in Nagaland are trying to revive a traditional form of punishment to reduce crime.
Key takeaways
- Khujli ghar is a cramped, triangular cage made from the logs of Masang-fung.
- Masang-fung is a local tree that causes irritation.
- Social offenders of Naga customary laws dread this punishment due to humiliation within the community.
- Such itchy cages are referred to as khujli ghar in Nagamese — a pidgin lingua franca — but each Naga community has its own name.
- The Aos, one of the major tribes of Nagaland, call it Shi-ki (flesh-house).
- The cage is usually placed at a central spot in the village, usually in front of the morung (bachelor’s dormitory) for the inmate to be in full public view.
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