author
J. P. (James Philip) Mills
1890–1960
Drawn from years spent in northeast India, these writings come from an administrator-ethnographer who documented Naga communities with unusual depth and care. His books remain important records of social life, customs, and history in the Assam hills.
1 Audiobook
The Lhota Nagas
by J. P. (James Philip) Mills
About the author
Educated at Winchester College and Corpus Christi College, Oxford, James Philip Mills joined the Indian Civil Service in 1913 and spent much of his career in northeast India. Alongside his administrative work, he became known for detailed ethnographic studies of Naga communities in the Assam hills.
He wrote several influential books, including The Lhota Nagas, The Ao Nagas, and The Rengma Nagas. His work combined close observation with a strong interest in everyday life, social organization, and local traditions, and it has continued to be used by historians and anthropologists.
Mills was also active in British anthropology beyond his field research, later serving as president of the Royal Anthropological Institute. Archival collections and later tributes show the lasting value of both his published studies and the papers, photographs, and notes he left behind.