![]() Penjun and Sunku don’t know each other but are connected by a common thread - the lines etched on their bodies. This picturesque valley is home to Tadu Sunku, a 80-yearold farmer from the Apatani tribe, one of the 26 tribes of Arunachal Pradesh. About 400 km from Nagaland’s Longwa village, nestled among the tranquil hills, is Ziro valley of Arunachal Pradesh. He is among the last of the storied tattooed Naga head-hunters. Penjun, a warrior from the Konyak tribe that dominates the hilly Mon district of Nagaland, went on headhunting missions to what is now Myanmar 50 years back and earned his ‘stripes’. ![]() Nothing here betrays the violent times Penjun has lived and the risky headhunting trips he has undertaken, but for the tattoos that cover his face and torso, and his longhouse that has an entire wall adorned with weapons of all kinds - from axes to machetes to guns. It is a warm May afternoon in Longwa village and 77-yearold Penjun Konyak is taking a nap on a wooden cot with his granddaughter by his side. TOI takes a sneak-peak into this fascinating world. The spread of religion played a major part in turning Naga headhunters into devout Christians and making tribals believe that tattooing was a sin. The northeast, which once had several tribes with a rich tattoo culture, is now watching these inked people and their heritage slowly disappear forever into the miasma of the modern world.
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