Meeting the last surviving Headhunters of Nagaland

Face to Face with the last Headhunters of Nagaland

Since being captivated by exotic portraits of the headhunters of Nagaland in magazines I’d always dreamed of witnessing this intriguing, exotic and oh so different way of life for myself but honestly never really believed that it would happen – the remote tribal state of Nagaland in North East India is off the beaten track to say the least and the thought of meeting tribal people, who until recently severed off the heads of enemies and intruders and proudly displayed them outside their houses, was frankly a little daunting!

Konyak people outside their traditional houses
Konyak people outside their traditional houses

In April 2016 my dream came true as I travelled to Nagaland with awesome local guide Sange from Holiday Scout on my 2nd trip to North East India – a region that I’ve really fallen in love with. (See more about my other experiences in North East India here) I was really in for a treat because not only did I get to meet the last of the headhunters but the visit was also timed to coincide with the Aoling Festival –  their New Year celebrations!

A dream comes true as I enter Nagaland
A dream comes true as I enter Nagaland

The Konyak Tribe – Better known as the Headhunters!

North East India is home to many intriguing tribal people and cultures but perhaps the most fascinating are the Konyak Tribe, better known as the headhunters, the largest of 17 officially recognized tribes in Nagaland and infamous due to their tradition of head hunting.

Until as recently as 1969 the Konyak tribe had a reputation of being fierce warriors who often attacked nearby villages of other tribes and took great pride in taking the heads of opposing warriors as trophies to hang in the Morung (a communal house).

Konyak (Headhunter) man
Konyak (Headhunter) man with a necklace showing how many heads he has taken

For the headhunters, the taking of a head was a great honour and symbol of courage and the number of heads taken indicated the power of a warrior as well the whole tribe and becomes a collective totem.

The headhunters traditionally have a very distinctive look, with colourful tribal beaded jewellery, exotic accessories and colourful intricately woven shawls. Perhaps the most intriguing part of the head hunter’s appearance are the facial and hand tattoos that were earned for taking an enemy’s head.

Tattooed Konyak Man
Tattooed Konyak Man. Photo by Sange Tsering from Holiday Scout

Until the 19th century the Naga people had very little contact with the outside world, even with the rest of India, and they fiercely fought against occupation by the British. However, eventually British rule came to Nagaland and with it Christian missionaries who converted 95% of Nagas to Christianity and signalled the start of big changes in the lives of the tribal people who traditionally lived in warring tribal villages and followed ‘Donyi-Polo’  an animist faith that translates a worship of the sun and moon.

Konyak woman - notice the tribal tattoos on her legs
Konyak woman – notice the tribal tattoos on her legs

My Adventure into Nagaland

My journey to one of the final frontiers of India began in Dibrugarh in Assam (the nearest airport to the Mon region where the headhunters tribes live) From Dibrugarh our adventure to Nagaland began with a long journey across typical Assamese countryside of rolling green fields and tea plantations, clay and bamboo houses and white sari clad girls on bicycles lead us to the Nagaland border.

Tea plantations in Assam, North East India
Tea plantations in Assam, North East India

As soon as we rumbled across a rickety bridge and entered the dusty border crossing I felt like I had left India and entered another world – a jungly wild west where anything could happen! While waiting for our documents to be checked a man with a large gun who seemed to be high insisted on having his photo taken with me, despite photography being prohibited at the border crossing I thought it best not to refuse!

Crossing the border into Nagaland
Crossing the border into Nagaland

Welcome to Nagaland!

We bumped out way along dusty tracks, over shaky wooden bridges and through lush vegetation that reminded me more of South East Asia than India past wooden and bamboo houses, rustic villages with concrete 1950’s style churches that were a result of Christian missionaries.

Villages and churches in Nagaland
Villages and churches in Nagaland

By nightfall we reached the town of Mon which was to be our base in the Ahng Region, the land of the Headhunters, because this was where the only hotels were. It’s easier to visit Nagaland than it used to be as foreigners are no longer required to have a Protected Area Permit to visit but still need to register at the police station.

Registering at the police station in Mon, Nagaland
Registering at the police station in Mon, Nagaland

With the formalities complete we checked into the Paramount Guest House which looked a little ominous from the outside but I was assured that this was the best of only 3 accommodation options in town and despite being basic it was clean and comfortable enough, the staff was super helpful and the electricity worked about 50% of the time which is a big achievement in this remote and rustic region!

Views over Mon Town in Nagaland
Views over Mon Town in Nagaland

Celebrating the Aoling Festival in Wakching

The following morning after a few more hours across bumpy tracks we made it to the village of Wakching where a huge crowd had gathered in the center of the village to celebrate the Aoling festival. The people in Nagaland look very different from those in the rest of India and I loved how the women carried their babies on their backs wrapped up in shawls as they peered from the steps of the imposing white church which faced the Morung, the traditional community hall for the Konyak tribal people.

Crowds at the Aoling Festival celebrations in Wakching, Nagaland
Crowds at the Aoling Festival celebrations in Wakching, Nagaland

The Aoling Festival is the biggest festival for the Konyak tribe as is held every year in the first week of April to celebrate the New Year but exact dates can change. Finding out what celebrations and rituals were taking place and where was a complex investigation verging on complete mystery even for the local people but our guide Sange with his connections managed to get the lowdown.

Aoling Festival in Wakching. Nagaland
Headhunters dancing at the Aoling Festival in Wakching. Nagaland

Visiting Nagaland at this time means that you can see tribal people all dressed up in their traditional clothes and jewellery and also witness traditional tribal dances being performed as well as other rituals including animal sacrifices.

Konyak women dancing for the Aoling Festival in Wakching, Nagaland
Konyak women dancing for the Aoling Festival in Wakching, Nagaland

The Aoling celebrations were a riot of colour, costumes and laughter – most of the participants were high on paan or opium and genuinely welcomed me into their homes.

Headhunter man dancing at Aoling Festival
Headhunter man dancing at Aoling Festival
Meeting the headhunters at the Aoling Festival in Nagaland
Meeting the headhunters at the Aoling Festival in Nagaland

No doubt this is the best time to visit Nagaland if you are interested in tribal culture and what sets the Aoling Festival apart from the more famous Hornbill Festival (held in December in Kohima, the capital of Nagaland) is that the Hornbill Festival is arranged by the government as a tourist event whereas the Aoling Festival is totally traditional and authentic and in fact I only saw about 6 other tourists the whole time I was in Nagaland!

Longwa – a headhunter village perched on the border of India and Myanmar

The village of Longwa, perched on the border of India and Myanmar
The village of Longwa, perched on the border of India and Myanmar

Next day we drove even deeper into the hills of Nagaland, right up to the border with Myanmar (Burma), as we visited the captivating headhunter village of Longwa. Witnessing the Aoling Festival celebrations was a real treat but I also just fell in love with this tribal village and loved just seeing the Konyak people go about their daily lives.

Longwa is perched on a luscious, forested ridge between India and Myanmar. It was almost like stepping back in time as I explored the wooden houses and witnessed a way of life so removed and so different from the modern world yet also so inspiring and almost idyllic.

Konyak tribal houses in Longwa village
Konyak tribal houses in Longwa village

With the help of my guide Sange from Holiday Scout I set out to explore the village, most people were happy to have their photo taken and to show us around their houses that were made from wood with huge thatched roofs. Inside was dark, gloomy and suffocating smoky. The houses are huge and hold large extended family members who sat around the large hearth in the middle of the house while outside animal skulls now take the place of where the headhunters would once have proudly displayed human heads.

Traditional Konyak houses in Longwa
Traditional Konyak houses in Longwa

 

Tribal houses in Longwa
Tribal houses in Longwa

 

Konyak woman in traditional tribal jewellery
Konyak woman in traditional tribal jewellery

Beyond Borders

I climbed right to the top of the village and looking down over the gorgeous rolling scenery and forest hillsides all around I realised how meaningless borders are – the people, houses and scenery on the Myanmar side really looked no different to that on the Indian side despite a marker telling me that one side was India and one side was Burma.

At the top of Longwa village overlooking Myanmar on one side and India on the other
At the top of Longwa village overlooking Myanmar on one side and India on the other

The Konyak tribe reside both in India and in Myanmar and are allowed to hunt and pass freely between the two countries within their traditional tribal lands and its refreshing that there are no barriers separating the two countries here

Meeting the Headhunter King of Longwa

The fusion of Christianity with the traditional tribal cultures and beliefs is an interesting, slightly bizarre mix. The center of Longwa village is dominated by an admittedly rather ugly church where the tribal people dressed in colourful sarongs created a serene sound as they sang hymns for the Sunday service.

Longwa Church
Longwa Church

Just above the church lives the king of the Konyak tribe who, due to the unique position of the village, is said to wake up in Myanmar and have breakfast in India. A new house was in the process of being built but for now the King resides in a somewhat makeshift hut surrounded by other men of the village and a cloud of thick smoke from the opium pipes.

The King of Longwa
The King of Longwa

The king greeted us briefly but looked quite spaced out so instead a older man from Calcutta who had been staying there in the King’s hut for months explained more to us about the village until an inebriated man started some kind of tribal song which seemed to keep everyone entertained for a while until the next pipe.

Smoking opium in the King's hut in Longwa
Smoking opium in the King’s hut in Longwa

As I emerged from the gloom and smoke of the hut I saw that outside the villagers had heard that some tourists were around and had set up a makeshift market spreading blankets on the ground to display colourful tribal jewellery and hand carved wooden opium pipes for sale.

Tribal jewellery and opium pipes for sale outside the King's house in Longwa, Nagaland
Tribal jewellery and opium pipes for sale outside the King’s house in Longwa, Nagaland

The last head hunters

To be honest meeting the king was a little disappointing, he was young and had only been King for less than a year since his father had passed away so he didn’t look like the kind of fierce, exotic, tattooed headhunter warrior that I’d imagined. Fortunately though as we drove back towards Mon I got my chance to meet one of the last remaining head hunter kings in another village who was much more like the kind of warrior king I had dreamed of with his facial tattoos, spear, tribal clothing, necklace adorned with 5 small golden heads, red hat adorned with fur, hornbill feathers and wild board canine teeth and what looked like more animal teeth through his ears.

With the Konyak King and friend in Nagaland
With the Konyak King and friend in Nagaland

 

Not sure if this headhunter king was very impressed with my photography
Not sure if this headhunter king was very impressed with my photography

Visiting Nagaland feels like stepping back in time but even here the modern world is starting to reach even these most remote communities. Head hunting is now a thing of the past and although younger people celebrate their heritage at times like the Aoling festival the ‘real’ headhunters are becoming rare. These fascinating  people with their unique history and culture really won’t be around for much longer – it was a dream come true to be able to meet these people – the last remaining headhunters of Nagaland and I felt so humbled at the warm welcome I received from people who once had such a fierce some reputation.

If your dream is to meet the headhunters you need to go now before they are gone!

With a Konyak man at his home in Longwa
With a Konyak man at his home in Longwa
Konyak girls getting ready to dance for the Aoling celebrations
Konyak girls getting ready to dance for the Aoling celebrations

 

Headhunter man enjoying the Aoling Festival
Headhunter man enjoying the Aoling Festival. His teeth are rotted and stained from chewing paan all day.

How to visit Nagaland

Nagaland is a state in the remote region of North East India. Traveling here independently can be difficult due to a lack of public transport and tourism infrastructure. Also if you are traveling without a local guide you may not find the local people to be so welcoming. I took a special festival tour . with awesome local tour operator Holiday Scout. This amazing tour included not only the Aoling Festival in Nagaland but also the Mopin Festival in Arunachal Pradesh as well as visiting the Apatani Tribe in the beautiful Ziro Valley and getting up close with endangered rhinos at Kaziranga National Park in Assam.

For more check out my Tips for Traveling in North East India and my Review of Touring North East with Holiday Scout.

At the Nagaland border with my awesome guide Sange from Holiday Scout
At the Nagaland border with my awesome guide Sange from Holiday Scout

For more stories from North East India read about:

India’s Last Surviving Headhunters – BBC Travel 

Homestay with Headhunters in Nagaland – CNN Travel 

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Meeting the Last Surviving Headhunters of Nagaland

My experiences in North East India:

Escaping it all in the Tribal Lands of North East India

Meeting the Apatani Tribe in Ziro Valley

Kaziranga National Park: The Last Refuge of the Endangered Rhino

8 Reasons why you should add North East India to your Bucket List

The Mountains and Monasteries of Tawang – the last Shangri La.

Want more India travel tips and stories?

Sunset over romantic Udaipur in Rajasthan

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26 comments

Hof Kim Cohen May 24, 2016 at 4:17 pm

holy shit! I’m reading this! it’s crazy.

Reply
Anna Parvati May 24, 2016 at 5:09 pm

Thanks hun! It was an amazing experience hope you enjoy reading it and all the photos ????

Reply
Hof Kim Cohen May 24, 2016 at 5:45 pm

great photos!

Reply
Anna Parvati May 24, 2016 at 7:16 pm

Thanks so much ???? x

Reply
Emily July 24, 2016 at 5:10 pm

Thank you so much for sharing this story. I got completely lost in it! It looks like exploring Northern India was such a great experience, and the photos are so enticing – I must visit someday 🙂

Reply
Anna July 24, 2016 at 11:30 pm

Hi Emily! Wow! Thanks so much! 🙂 I’m so glad you liked it so much and glad that you liked the photos! It was really an incredible experience and a dream come true. I have lots of tips on the blog for North East India if you want more info. Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂

Reply
Jazzy October 7, 2016 at 4:54 am

What an opportunity! Thanks for sharing this amazing experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the pictures 🙂

Reply
Anna October 7, 2016 at 7:11 am

Thanks so much for your kind comments Jazzy! I really was an incredible experience – I’m so lucky that I got the opportunity to go as not many people have been here. Glad you liked the photos!

Reply
Chiranjit Das January 31, 2017 at 12:28 am

Myoko and Mopin festival this year !

Reply
Chiranjit Das January 31, 2017 at 10:13 am

Wow ! You’re truly an inspiration ! Seems like I’m following your footsteps ????
Thanks for the share 🙂

Reply
Nevermore April 11, 2017 at 7:37 pm

Was nice reading although im from Nagaland.. I’ve never visted those areas.

Reply
Anna May 9, 2017 at 5:07 pm

Thanks, glad you liked it!

Reply
Temsu June 2, 2017 at 8:58 am

Proud to be a Naga… N proud to represent this incredible culture…..

Reply
Anna June 2, 2017 at 9:18 am

Hi Temsu! Thanks for stopping by! The Naga culture is incredible! I really want to go back to Nagaland! Such an amazing place and people 🙂

Reply
Suraj July 4, 2017 at 3:47 am

U had amazing journey I can see… I’m an Indian and it’s embarrassing for me that even I didn’t knew much about head hunting tribe until I stumbled on this website . I’m looking forward to visiting northeast more than ever. Thanx to u.

Reply
Suraj July 4, 2017 at 3:52 am

U had amazing journey , lovely photos… I’m an Indian and it’s embarrassing for me that even I didn’t knew much about head hunting tribe until I stumbled on this website . I’m looking forward to visiting northeast more than ever.

Reply
Anna July 16, 2017 at 9:35 pm

Thanks Suraj – it was an amazing opportunity to meet the headhunters and the North east is such a special place – hope you get to see it one day

Reply
Nyamo bagra October 30, 2017 at 2:09 pm

For the first time I read a blog till the end, it felt nice…lol

Reply
Anna October 31, 2017 at 7:39 am

Cool! Thanks 🙂

Reply
Jz Jong's November 9, 2017 at 5:32 pm

Hope you enjoyed With my people,especially Konyak areas..

Reply
Anna November 10, 2017 at 5:01 pm

Yes Nagaland was AMAZING! I feel so blessed to have met the headhunters

Reply
Rehose(Riosay) Sangtam September 6, 2018 at 12:24 pm

This is amazing. Yep I am from Nagaland Mokokchung, I am so proud to be a Naga. Anna you’re awesome keep up.

Reply
Anna September 7, 2018 at 1:34 pm

Thanks, Wow you’re from Nagaland – its an amazing place! Glad you liked the post!

Reply
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