In the remote hills of northern Nagaland, the Konyaks have long held a reputation for being fierce headhunters. To bring home the enemy’s head was a major life event, celebrated with a grand reception and a facial tattoo for the worthy warrior.
Tales of their bravery have travelled far and wide, and yet, the Konyaks have kept their distance. Till the 1970s, anyone keen to explore their lands would need to walk all the way from the plains of Assam to this rugged mountainside. This isolation kept their culture intact.
However, once roads were built, change came swift. Missionaries persuaded the Konyaks to give up the animist practices in favour of Christianity. Also, as the younger generation drifts towards international influences now, the old way of living is fading.
You can still get a peek into their unique way of life at the six-day spring festival of Aoleang Monyu, currently underway till 6 April 2017. Celebrated after sowing seeds in the jhum fields, it’s when the people of Mon come out on the streets, dressed in traditional regalia, some flashing their weapons.
In the olden times, each day of Aoleang Monyu was dedicated to activities such as gathering of firewood, teaching mock headhunting to youngsters and sacrificing animals. These days, however, tribesmen are just content with cooking special meals for the occasion
Hunting always came naturally to the Konyaks. In the long houses of Shinga Chingu and Longwa, you would find entire walls adorned with hunting trophies. For the Konyaks, these trophies stand for wealth
For the Konyaks, carrying a weapon is not just limited to the festival. You can find men ambling on the roadside with country-made rifles on any given day
A few months before spring, women begin to weave the traditional skirt that is worn during the festival. This is also the time when they sing ethnic songs, orally passed down over generations
Teenagers gather at a local church for choir practice once every week. The Sunday mass in the district of Mon almost always sees full attendance
The geographic isolation and huge tracts of unspoiled forest on their lands made the Konyaks self-reliant. They learned to tap into forest resources, and even today, an older native would fare well if asked to forage in the wild
A native blows a buffalo horn, which was once the traditional way to call out to people during the festivities. The morung or village dormitory is where the youth learned about the meaning of tribal rituals
No festival of the Konyaks is complete without dancing and merry-making. The men begin the day with beating the traditional log drum, after which the local brew of rice beer flows freely
A resident of Longwa fires his weapon to celebrate the onset of Aoleang Monyu. Soon, other residents take cue, and anyone who owns a weapon joins the chorus
When the Konyaks converted to Christianity, the missionaries asked them to do away with the hunted. While most of them obliged, a few defiant residents held on to their prized possessions
Women here are 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
The Konyaks believe that skulls have magical powers, so they would collect them. While this practice stopped in the 1970s, most people now wear brass heads to as a token of the tradition
People of all ages like to sport necklaces made from animal bones. But due to endangered wildlife in these areas, conservation-focused NGOs are urging the Konyaks to give up the practice
The headgear is one of the most prized possessions of the Konyaks. Each individual adorns it with his hunts of wild boars, hornbills and eagles
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