TEA, TATTOOS, AND TRADITION

PHEJIN KONYAKWHOSE ANCESTRY TRACES BACK TO HEADHUNTERS-RUNS THE ONE-OF-A-KIND KONYAK TEA RETREAT IN NAGALAND

- KARTIKEYA SHANKAR

TUCKED AWAY IN THE village of Shiyong, about an hour and a half from Mon in Nagaland's northeast, lies the Konyak Tea Retreat. Lodged within the sprawling 250-acre Sayeang Tea Estate, a private tea plantation, it offers a unique glimpse into a world beyond the ordinary. While the farmhouse might seem familiar, its owner, Phejin Konyak, adds a distinctive touch.

Phejin is a member of the Konyak tribe, one of the last Naga groups to embrace Christianity. Headhunting, a practice that continued until the 1970s, is an inseparable part of their history. Konyaks believed the soul force resided in the human skull, making heads powerful trophies that could settle disputes and bring power to the village. Taking a head was a rite of passage for young men, a prerequisite for adulthood.

Tattoos served not only as a mark of these achievements but also as a form of identity and a celebration of life stages.

Even more intriguing, Phejin is the great-granddaughter of Ahon, a tattooed headhunter who played a crucial role in J.H. Hutton's 1923 book "Diaries of Two Tours in the Naga Hills." Hutton, the first ethnographer to document the region during British rule, relied on Ahon's expertise as an interpreter. A glimpse of this rich heritage still lingers in Mon district.