The Last Headhunters, Konyak Tribe of Nagaland

We visit the Mon district of northern Nagaland, and meet the last headhunters in the villagers of Hongpoi and Longwa.

First we travelled to Hongpoi where we sought permission from the Angh (Chief or King) and
were invited to take tea and bananas with the village elders. Interesting conversations about
our differing cultures through translation from traditional Naga, to modern Naga to English.

Our next visit was to Longwa ( 1400m altitude). We got going and it was a long tiring drive of several hours along steep sided, unmade single track roads.
Longwa sits atop a mountain straddling the India/Myanmar border. Here the border is open
(the Ahgh’s house sits in both countries) and opium is freely available.
We lunch with an extended Longwa family and meet the last generation of headhunters
displaying traditional dress, tattoo’d faces and skull necklaces. A generation that will soon be
no more

Headhunting: Until 1969, the Konyak Nagas were known as fierce warriors, who often attacked nearby villages of other tribes and took heads of opposing warriors to declare their victory.
Headhunting was at the heart of Naga societies fabric. No young man could graduate to
adulthood and be eligible to marry a high status woman without completed the ritual of
headhunting at least once. They believed that the practice was also essential for maintaining
the fertility of the crops and the wellbeing of the community. They believed that by removing
the head from the body the spirit of the deceased would not return to their village for
revenge. Even the women were not shy of taking up arms. In the olden days, if there was a
threat to their clan, they did not hesitate in picking up a weapon and joining the men in
battles to protect their tribe’s honour.
The Konyaks traditionally wear colourful tribal beaded jewellery, exotic accessories and
intricately woven shawls. What is most striking about their appearance, however, is the facial
and hand tattoos that were drawn when someone managed to take an enemy’s head in a
battle. Skulls on necklaces that Naga warriors wear denote the number of heads taken.
Sheltered from the reaches of modern civilization, the tribe survived many generations.
However, today, headhunting is almost unknown. The last major outbreak is reported to have
been in 1990. Since then, the forests have largely been cleared, and Nagaland is now known
instead for having one of the largest Christian populations in South Asia. The erstwhile skull
houses where Naga boys were trained to hunt have been torn down, missionaries have asked
them to do away with the hunted, barring a few defiant individuals who have held on to their
legacy. Even the practice of wearing colourful beaded jewellery is on a decline.

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