Konyak tribe

Konyak tribe

Subject – Governance

Context – At the centre of the violence which followed the killing of six civilians in Oting village of Mon district in Nagaland on Saturday evening, and which led to the killing of eight more civilians, are the Konyaks – among the largest tribes in the state.

Concept –

• With a population of roughly 3 lakh, the area inhabited by the Konyaks extends into Arunachal Pradesh, with a sizeable population in Myanmar as well.
• Known to be one of the fiercest warrior tribes in Nagaland, the Konyaks were the last to give up the practice of head-hunting – severing heads of enemies after attacking rival tribes – as late as the 1980s.
• The Konyaks are one of the major Naga ethnic groups.
• In Nagaland, they inhabit the Mon District—also known as ‘The Land of The Anghs’.
  • The Anghs/Wangs are their traditional chiefs whom they hold in high esteem. Facial tattoos were earned for taking an enemy’s head.
• Other unique traditional practices that set the Konyaks apart are: gunsmithing, iron-smelting, brass-works, and gunpowder-making.
• They are also adept in making ‘janglaü’ (machetes) and wooden sculptures.