Shed Hangings
History
The tradition is thought to have started in India, spreading across different Naga populations over time starting around the year 10,000, although it is uncertain as to when and where exactly the practice got its start, as extremely old hangings are often incredibly damaged and subject to extreme levels of deterioration, especially when subject to moisture or insects. Due to this, the most ancient of shed hangings still preserved in some form have all been found in dry regions, but may not be representative of the true origins of the practice, as it may have begun in tropical and subtropical areas, but the artifacts long lost to time and natural decomposition. Arid regions such as northern Africa, Sudan, and Iraq are notable in having some of the oldest preserved shed hangings in the world, with the current oldest belonging to the Talaat family. It was donated to the Cairo museum in 19,321 for preservation, and is heavily damaged. The largest of old hangings, at an incredible 48 feet and estimated to have 284 skins belongs to the Gujarati family in Pansemal, India, is still in use to this day and is one of the best preserved in the world.
The vast majority of old shed hangs use similar braiding techniques, hinting to a similar origin that may have started in one singular region. Hangings created after 14,000 often show a divergence in braiding technique, with those from Egypt, Iran, and Pakistan having a distinct braiding style that can be read to trace a family's lineage and denoting the type of relationships with different knot styles. Hangings from the Burma region in India, Vietnam, and Afghanistan all show similar braiding techniques with a 'hoop' at the center as the origin point, working outwards rather than in a lateral style after 12,500, though many newer hangings often have returned to lateral styles, particularly in joining points for different family sections of the hangings.
In modern times, most shed hangings are kept in large shadowboxes or frames to protect them from the elements, allowing them to last much longer, especially in humid areas. Old hangings often will have their sections redyed or carefully painted throughout the years, and although controversial in some areas, may be preserved with glues, resins, or sealants to prevent flaking and disintegration. In recent years, the practice of splitting sheds down the middle to integrate into multiple family hangings has become common, especially in families that were at one point split and have two or more different heirloom hangings.
Execution
Generally when a naga child is around four to ten years old due to more consistently whole sheds, their shed skin will be preserved by their parents to be saved for the yearly traditions of integrating their skins into their family's hanging. The shed skins are washed and dried, often being treated with traditional blends of a garlic or onion oil to keep away insects and moisture and rolled flat for later use, kept in cool dry locations in the meantime. The sheds will often be dyed in colors traditional to each family and highly variable depending on regional and family customs prior to being integrated into the heirloom hanging. The main hanging will often be treated itself to keep away mold and insects, and sections unbraided to incorporate new skins into its design by family elders, a long and delicate process that traditionally must be done by hand.
Integrating the new shed skins into hangings is a family event, with great cultural significance, and treated as a joyous affair to be done alongside elders telling the stories of their heritage, bond, and relationships to reinforce family bonds and pass down the tradition alongside the family's values, culture, and history. Many regions and bloodlines have particular techniques in their braiding styles and may use different knots to denote important events, such as marriages and births. Many hangings can be incredibly massive and require several people to move, unravel, and braid back together.
Participants
The tradition is one long held by the Naga, most often done by parents and elders within a family using the sheds of their younger children. Parents carefully preserve their childrens' sheds to be saved for adding them into their family's hanging, and elders within the family, often grandparents or great grandparents, will teach those younger than them how to unravel the hanging and add the new skins into it. As this is a long and complicated process to not destroy the delicate skins, many of which can be decades or even centuries old, elders are highly respected for their skill in doing so carefully.
Family elders are also in charge of denoting who in the family inherits the wall hangings, oftentimes including them in their wills and last wishes on which family member will carry on the tradition, and passing on their knowledge on how to preserve, read, and care for the skins. Often they are passed from parent to child, and receiving the hanging is considered to be a great honor and mark of their bloodline being the 'true' lineage of their family.
Observance
Although the sheds can be collected at any time, adding them into their family's hanging is reserved for special events and holidays, most often the Festival of Life or regional New Year celebrations. There are, however, exceptions- marriages and adoptions are the most notable and most common, being considered a merger of families and bloodlines, and oftentimes will have special events surrounding weaving the newly joined families' wall hangings together as a symbol of their bond and relationships coming together as one, often done during the marriage ceremony itself. Interracial marriages will often make use of other methods to join new family members into the hanging, most often locks of hair or fur, shed feathers, or a symbolic representation of that family member. In the case of adoptions, as the newly adopted family member is often older than the typical age of children whose sheds are used, most often their most recent shed after coming into the family will be joined into their new family's hanging if their traditional family hanging is not available.
There can be quite a lot of drama concerning the tradition, most often occurring due to the heirlooms being passed down to who is perceived as the 'wrong' person in the family. Members of the family that feel they have been wronged by their elders not passing it down to them may pursue legal fights over the heirlooms, and rifts forming between different family members is not entirely uncommon. This can also occur with families refusing to integrate the hangings of newly joined family members into their own as way of rejecting them- This most commonly occurs due to marriages that are not approved of by family elders. Families can also reject their traditional hanging as way of cutting ties from the rest of their family, which is a massive blow and in many more traditional circles, can be considered taboo. Oftentimes those cutting ties will create their own shed hangings and declare it the new heirloom of their bloodline.
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