Konyaks : Fading Tattoos

The Konyak tribe, famous for their headhunting and famous for their facial tattoos, lives in the remote North East India and the northwestern tip of Myanmar. The prominent and iconic “specs” facial tattoo of the Konyak men is a depiction of this unique cultural practice that distinguish the Konyaks to the rest of the world. Various other tattoo design patterns on the bodies of both men and women are a direct visual representation of this unique traditional practice. Unfortunately, the living proof today, of this once thriving and unique tattooing culture, is fading by the year.
The fundaments of the Konyak culture and the tattoos on face and body form an union, they are inseparable. The Konyak warrior tribe is one of the many Naga tribes.
In the remote villages of Nagaland ‘s Mon district, which borders Myanmar, a motley band of elderly former warriors are still visible — their tattooed faces and torsos bear witness to mortal combat and the once customary headhunting. It was tradition to honor the men with tattoos on their faces and chest as a mark of their heroic deeds.
Life, headhunting, and tattooing were seamlessly interconnected in the Konyak culture…Now the old warriors and their wives are the last remaining tangible proof of what was once a living tradition.
The Konyak belief was that the skull of a person has all the soul force of that being.
This soul force is strongly affiliated with prosperity and fertility and is used for the benefit of the village, personal life, and crops