Konyak Heritage Tour, Mon

The Konyak Nagas of Mon district were once among the most feared head-hunting warriors of the Naga hills. Warriors earned facial and body tattoos for success in raids, a practice that ended in the mid-20th century. Today the last tattooed elders, often wearing brass-head necklaces, are living links to that history — and meeting them is a profound experience.

A Konyak heritage tour visits villages such as Longwa, where the Angh's house straddles the India–Myanmar border, Shangnyu with its remarkable carved wooden panel in the chief's house, and Hongphoi and Chui. You will see massive log drums carved from single trees, morungs decorated with skulls of mithun and hornbills, and traditional crafts such as gun-making, metalwork and beadwork.

We work with Konyak guides who make introductions and translate, ensuring that encounters are dignified and that elders are fairly compensated for their time. Visiting during the Aoleang spring festival in early April adds dances, feasts and songs.