When a facial tattoo was reserved only for headhunters

Tattoos, an urban fad in the rest of India, have lost its age-old charm in Nagaland where getting oneself tattooed on the face was a symbol of being a ferocious headhunter warrior.
Naga researcher Phejin Konyak says tattooing, prevalent as a tribal ritual since many centuries, is now completely abandoned by the Konyak tribe of Mon district due to the advent of modernisation.
"Tattoo was a tribal ritual meant to signify your achievements in life. Warriors were rewarded with a facial tattoo if they brought the head of an enemy. No one else was allowed to have tattoos on their face," she told PTI.

Tattoos on other parts of the body signified a rite of passage from boyhood to manhood while for the women it reflected their cycle of life events like marriage, becoming a mother, etc.
Tattoos were so deeply rooted to headhunting and tribal culture that as headhunting got abolished and Christianity spread in the villages, the art also got lost.
"There are no traditional tattoo artists left now as no one hires them," Phejin, herself a member of the tribe points out.
Along with Dutch photographer Peter Bos, she has documented the indigenous form of art as it fades away into the pages of history.

At the Indian Museum here, she has put up a photo exhibition on 'The Last of the Tattooed Headhunters: The Konyaks' depicting old tattoo designs on the bodies of former headhunters.