Longwa, in Nagaland’s Mon district, is not the typical sleepy Northeastern village you come across in travelogues and photo books. It is one of the few entry points to Myanmar from India, and that explains the round-the-clock presence of Border Security Force personnel. One of the main concerns arising from Longwa’s location is related to the smuggling of narcotics from across the border.
Proximity to Myanmar is not the only thing Longwa is known for. It is home to the last of Nagaland’s tattooed headhunters from the fierce Konyak tribe. The arrival of the British in Kohima changed the Naga tribes’ way of life. Headhunting was banished with the advent of Christianity in the state. Mon resisted religious conversion for long, and the Konyaks were the last to give up their unique lifestyle. Till the ’70s, few Konyaks wore clothes, covering their bodies in layers of beaded jewellery instead.
The Konyaks, unlike other Naga tribes that have village councils, follow a system of hereditary kingship. Longwa has a king — Ang, in the local dialect — who has jurisdiction over villages located on both sides of the border. A popular myth in Longwa is the Indo-Myanmar border passing through his long house. Mon has several Angs and the system is also practised by Konyaks in Myanmar.
It is an unwritten law that anyone who visits Longwa meets the Ang first. The Ang’s house in Longwa is one of its attractions. A huge family — the number runs into several dozens — lives under the roof of what is considered a superb example of traditional Naga architecture. The interiors are resplendent with wooden sculptures and trophies of hunted wildlife. This is also the venue for village meetings and functions, apart from being a makeshift marketplace for tourists looking for souvenirs to take back home.
Longwa is also home to a community of bead workers and artisans who craft pendants out of brass. The pendant holds a special place in Konyak history. The number of brass head pendants on a Konyak warrior was equal to the number of real heads taken.
Ayan Ghosh is a writer-photographer based in Kolkata