Preface
We only know who we are when we know who we are not.
–Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations
We first became interested in the Naga people and their culture when living in Malaysia in 2008. We were then conducting research in the highland populations of Myanmar. Access to the Sagaing district, the area inhabited by some Naga tribes, was and still is possible only under military escort and during the celebration of the New Year’s festival in the first week of January. Thus, in order to continue our work, we decided to visit the Naga villages situated on the other side of the Myanmar border, in the Indian state of Nagaland. At that time, the region was considered a restricted area, and thus the official permission of the government of India was required in the form of an Inner Line Permit (IPL).
During our first stay in Nagaland, the kindness of the people, the richness of their traditional costumes and ornaments, their village doors and imposing log drums, the aesthetic sense of the carvings decorating the morungs (boys’ dormitories) and chiefs’ houses, and the amazing tattoos of the former headhunters definitely hooked us. Faced with the evidence that what remained from the region’s architecture, art, and traditions might be completely lost in a short period, over six years we toured the country as widely as was permitted. Our ambition was to record the lives of the last generation of former headhunters and their families and photograph as much tattoo art, architecture, sculpture, ornaments, textiles, and other crafts as possible.
Despite the military and political instability of Naga Hills, the lack of accommodation, the endless hours bouncing down dirt tracks at no faster than thirty kilometers per hour, the inaccessibility of number of a villages especially on the Myanmar side of the border, and the difficulties in finding the location of many others, these journeys and the encounters that took place on the road proved to be among the most thrilling experiences of our lives. The success of this research and the acquisition of knowledge about the Naga tribes would not have been possible without the enthusiastic cooperation of the inhabitants. Despite our sudden unscheduled appearances and inquisitive presence, we were made most welcome at every place we visited. Everywhere, people put aside what they were doing to patiently answer our questions. These casual conversations often revealed undocumented Naga traditions and material culture.
But who are the Nagas?
The mountain ranges situated between the far northeastern part of India and the extreme northeast of Myanmar (Burma) are home to an incredible people of Tibeto-Burman origin, the Nagas. The number of tribes making up the Nagas varies depending on which scholar one consults, but they are believed to include between twelve and thirty groups, with the major ones being the Angami, Ao, Lotha, Chakhesang, Konyak, Rengma, Sangtam, Yimchungru, Zeliangrong, Nocte, Phom, Khiamniungan, Pochuri, Tangkhul, and Sema. These groups inhabit both sides of the Indo-Burmese border in the Naga Hills, a sub-Himalayan region characterized by thick jungles and rugged mountains, known as “the last mystery of Asia.” Until the middle of the twentieth century, the men of these tribes were recognized as frightening headhunters, but despite their reputation, the Nagas were and are primarily farmers. Thus, it is not surprising that “fertility” was seen as a “power” that should be continually increased, secured, and channeled toward the community. How deeply has this belief and the quest for fertility marked the culture of these tribes?
Other books have been published about the Nagas. However, to the best of our knowledge there are no other studies examining the culture of these people in terms of such an essential point of view. To answer this question, we will explore some flagship themes of the social sciences: the mechanisms of wealth distribution, how taboos influence society, what role institutions play, and how a culture can adapt to deep transformations. Moreover, because events and analysis alone do not make history, in more than fifty key interviews the authors give voice to the last protagonists of an almost vanished world. For the first time, former headhunters and their families talk extensively about their past, their fears, and their hopes.
It is clear that change is the essence of life, and modernity will destroy what little remains of ancient traditions. However, if the Nagas have lost much, not all has been lost. We took more than 4,000 photographs in the villages that we visited in the course of this research. A selection of these are included in this book. To outline the details, many of the pictures are full-resolution photographs presented in full-page size.
Drawing on research fields as diverse as anthropology, religion, art, history, and sociology, Memories of Headhunters attempts to provide a thorough understanding of the mechanisms by which beliefs shape societies.
Based on extensive fieldwork and in-depth interviews conducted in Myanmar, and in the Indian states of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur over a period of six years, this book about the Naga’s history, organization, rituals, architecture and sculptures gives unique insight into the world of the Naga tribes and illustrates one of the world’s last living examples of traditional culture.
This volume will be followed by a volume 2, focused on the Naga tribes ornaments such headgears, necklaces, armlets, clothes, women’s and headhunters’ tattoos, and armaments. An entire chapter will be dedicated to an amazing comparison between the Nagas material culture and that of other Asian and Pacific people.