The disappearing world of Nagaland's Konyak tribe

There was a time when the fierce warriors of the Konyak tribe displayed the skulls of their vanquished enemies as war trophies

It’s hard to look away from the fine blue lines on his face. Like strands in a spider web, they mingle and separate with every change of expression. The octogenarian catches me staring at his tattooed face and smiles gently.

As an anachronism in a rapidly modernising world (and probably even for his jeans-clad sons and daughters, nieces and nephews), he’s used to it. “Did the tattoos hurt when you got them?” I ask. “The ones on my face hurt like hell,” he says. “I got them at 14, and still remember the pain.” The stories of his tattoos bring