A Rare Glimpse – India’s Last Remaining Headhunters
![Holiday Scout](https://theholidayscout.com/images/thumbs/blogauthor/1.jpg)
Westerners assume that headhunting was a primitive act of brutality. But in times before the 1960’s when Christian missionaries had the practice abolished, headhunting was deemed by the Konyak as something admirable, as a sign of valor and dominance.
In those bygone days, heads played the same role that money does today, and taking enemy heads earned a Konyak warrior a position of respect within society. The more heads he took, the higher his standing and wealth grew and, hence, the more eligible he became to choose a wife.
A warrior’s tattoos symbolized his accomplishments. If he brought home a body part of the enemy his reward was a tattoo on his body. If he severed a head, he earned the privilege of getting one on his face. And after a warrior had taken five heads, he could have his neck tattooed with the prestigious “spider web” design. Today, with headhunting a thing of the past, elder tribesmen are the only ones left wearing these amazing tattoos.
In earlier times, the skulls of severed enemy heads adorned the walls of the Konyak communal houses. Today, instead, bones of buffaloes, mithun, boars and hornbills are displayed to show the status of a man in society. With the invasion of Christianity, many of the Konyak Naga’s traditions like training young boys as warriors, wearing colorful beaded jewelry and building thatched-roof houses have almost disappeared. Now is the time to see them – before they are forever lost to history.
Tags: Travel, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, North East India, Lungwa, Konyak, Headhunters, Tattoos, Tribe
Tag Cloud
Tribe Manipur Mizoram Arunachal Pradesh Travel Lungwa Cherrapunjee Safari Tattoos Condé Nast Taveller Caves Konyak Art Meitei Reviews Nagaland Dirang Himalayan Hero Ziro Adventure Festivals Aizawl Explorer Of The Year Reiek Mountain Apatani Living Root Bridges Mishmi Cultural Preservation North East India Explore India Cooking Nature Hornbill Festival Photography Ladakh Wakro Handicrafts Street Fashion Tripadvisor Culture Tawang Headhunters Monastery Outdoor Meghalaya Assam #indiaiscalling Vantawang Falls Kaziranga Nohkalikai Falls