The Konyaks are one of the major

Naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions * Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata'' * Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...

ethnic groups An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

. In Nagaland, they inhabit the

Mon District Mon District (Pron:/mɒn/) is a district of Nagaland, a state in India. It is the third-largest district in Nagaland in terms of area. The district has a population of 250,260 people. Mon Town is the headquarters of the district. History After ...

, which is also known as ''The Land of the Anghs''. The ''Anghs''/''Wangs'' are their traditional chiefs whom they hold in high esteem. Facial tattoos were earned for taking an enemy's head. Other unique traditional practices that set the Konyaks apart are: gunsmithing, iron-smelting, brass-works, and gunpowder-making. They are also known for in making excellent ''Yanglaü'' (machetes) and wooden sculptures.

Society

The Konyaks are the largest of the Naga ethnic groups. They are found in Tirap, Longding, and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh; Sibsagar District of Assam; and also in Myanmar. They are known in Arunachal Pradesh as the Wanchos ('Wancho' is a synonymous term for 'Konyak'). Ethnically, culturally, and linguistically the Noctes and Tangsa of the same neighbouring state of Arunachal Pradesh, are also closely related to the Konyaks. The Konyaks were the last among the Naga ethnic groups to accept Christianity. In the past, they were infamous for attacking nearby villages, often resulting in killings and decapitation of the heads of opposing warriors. The decapitated heads were taken as trophies and usually hung in the 'baan' (a communal house). The number of hunted heads indicated the power of a warrior. The headhunting expeditions were often driven by certain beliefs, such as code of honour and principles of loyalty and sacrifice. The ethnic members maintain a very disciplined community life with strict adherence to duties and responsibilities assigned to each of them.

Culture

Festival

Aoleang ''Aoleang Monyü'' or simply ''Aoleang'' is a festival celebrated by the Konyak Naga people and is held in the first week of April mainly in the Mon District of the Indian state of Nagaland. The Konyak people are the largest of 17 officially r ...

'' is a festival celebrated in the first week of April (1–6) to welcome the spring and also to invoke the Almighty's (''Kahwang'') blessing upon the land before seed-sowing, is the biggest festival of the Konyaks. Another festival, ''Lao Ong Mo'', is the traditional harvest festival celebrated in the months of August/September. Ceremonial basket Konyak Naga

Language

The

Konyak language Konyak is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Konyak people of Nagaland, northeastern India. Dialects ''Ethnologue'' lists the following dialects of Konyak. Tableng is the standard dialect spoken in Wanching and Wakching. Phonology The ...

belongs to the

Northern Naga The Konyak languages, or alternatively the Konyakian or Northern Naga languages, is a branch of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken by various Naga peoples in southeastern Arunachal Pradesh and northeastern Nagaland states of northeastern India. They a ...

sub-branch of the Sal sub-family of

Sino-Tibetan Sino-Tibetan, also cited as Trans-Himalayan in a few sources, is a family of more than 400 languages, second only to Indo-European in number of native speakers. The vast majority of these are the 1.3 billion native speakers of Chinese languages. ...

Notable people

Chingwang Konyak Chingwang Konyak (born 24 April 1943) is an Indian politician from Nagaland. He represented Nagaland constituency in the Indian Parliament. Currently, Konyak is the president of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party. Political career ...

(b. 1943), Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha (1980–1984) * N. Bongkhao Konyak (b. 1977), Politician from Tobu constituency *

Phangnon Konyak S. Phangnon Konyak is an Indian politician from Nagaland. She is the State President of BJP Mahila Morcha, Nagaland. In March 2022, she became the first woman to be elected as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Nagaland and the second woman f ...

(b. 1978), Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (2022–present) * P. Paiwang Konyak (b. 1977), Cabinet Minister in Nagaland Legislative Assembly *

Noke Wangnao Noke Wangnao (1937 – 28 August 2023), also known as Papa Noke, was an Indian politician from Nagaland. He was elected to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly nine times from the Tapi Assembly constituency in 1974, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1989, 2003, 20 ...

(b. 1948), Member of Nagaland Legislative Assembly * W. Wangyuh (b. 1963), Former Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha

References

External links

Ethnologue profile
{{Authority control Scheduled Tribes of India Naga people Headhunting