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Even before the arrival of the British, Konyak gunsmiths had perfected the art of manufacturing loading guns. The tradition has been kept alive eversince
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Aoling or Aoleang Monyü coincides with the Konyak Naga new year and is an occasion to pray for a bumper harvest
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Konyak woman with a headband, various necklaces, armlets and a wide belt, all with matching beads
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Konyak man with a fur hat decorated with wild boar tusks and red tassels hanging from his ears
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Traditionally perforated ear lobes used to accommodate deer horns. Today a plastic plug proves a lot lighter
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One of the last surviving headhunters with now-banned face tattoo, and whisky caps as ear plugs instead of the traditional deer horns
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Typical Konyak headgear with a conical red cane helmet decorated with wild boar tusks and topped by black bear hair
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Alluring Konyak woman adorned with a thick beaded necklace and earrings extended with red tassels
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Anghya (ie first wife of the Angh, the local King) adorned with a striking set of jewellery indicative of her high status
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Anghya close up highlighting the ancient beaded belt, probably passed down from generation to generation, and a thick braid wrapped in embroidered fabric
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The beating of the log drum with a wooden hammer-like tool or with a Dao, the Konyak machete, is the festival's highlight. The log drum is a hollowed-out trunk that serves as a tribe totem and a symbol of unity
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Konyak man wearing a beaded collar, a pendant with brass heads and a necklace with beads, teeth and claws
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Angh's hut decorated with water buffalo horns. Until recently human skulls were also on display but they were buried on request from the Church
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Group of Konyak women wearing a long embroidered wrap-around skirt and adorned with beaded necklaces, armlets and belt
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A warrior who participated in a headhunting expedition would get a prized face tattoo. As the practice of chopping the enemy's head got banned in the early 1960's, the few surviving headhunters are in their eighties
