The basket is woven from various plant fibres and decorated with grass tassels as well as a wooden head, strips of fur and bird beaks.
These baskets were carried by Naga men for headhunting, in battle and for dance rituals associated with headhunting. The carved head indicates that the owner was a successful headhunter.
Collector: Charles Dowding, a missionary working with the Naga in what was then Assam.