Konyak tribe

In news– Recently, several civilians from the Konyak tribe were killed by the security forces in an “ambush” in Nagaland’s Mon district.

About Konyak tribe-

The Konkyaks are one of the major ethnic groups of Nagaland who reside mostly in the Mon district also known as ‘The Land of The Anghs’.
The Konyak language belongs to the Northern Naga sub branch of the Sal subfamily of Sino-Tibetan.
This ethnic tribe is mostly found in the Tirap, Longding, and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh and the Sibsagar district of Assam and sizable population in Myanmar as well.
The Anghs/Wangs are their traditional chiefs whom they hold in high esteem.
Facial tattoos were earned for taking an enemy’s head.
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.
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.
Mon is the only district in Nagaland where separatist group NSCN (IM) has not been able to set up base camps, largely due to resistance from the Konyaks.