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| Mystic Zunheboto |
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| Zunheboto Town |
Next day we left for the mystic region of Zunheboto, 150 kms from Kohima in Nagaland. The journey was picturesque with distant misty hills, green fields and small but neat villages most of them with the land mark of a church. I was wondering...with a feeling of what mystery lies ahead in untamed, unrefined and impassable land? Well, finally we entered the town of Zunheboto which welcomed us with a cool breeze and smiling though a bit reserved people. Viloli had arranged our accommodation in a local hotel Cosy Inn, a basic living place.
Another Naga lady friend of Viloli, Zao had accompnied us. Zao was from Konyak tribe who lived in the northern part of Nagaland unlike Viloli who was a Sumi and from Zunheboto. In he past of both the tribes were Human Headhunters.
The night had slowly creeped in and there was an eerie silence around the hotel. We were having beer and fried fish when Zao and Viloli started talking:
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| Headhunting |
Headhunting
One of the most striking social characteristics of the Nagas was the practice of headhunting. Ursula Graham Bower described the Naga hills as the "paradise of headhunters. Most villages had a skull house and each man in the village was expected to contribute to the collection. The taking of a head is symbolic of courage and men who could not were dubbed as women or cows! There is nothing more glorious for a Naga than victory in battle by bringing home the severed head of an enemy. Viloli added that this practice is now entirely eradicated with the spread of modern education in the region."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naga_people
I got up and looked through the window trying to see something, is headhunting extinct now or still....?
During dinner, without any reason, I was reserved and non communicative. Zao and Viloli looked keenly at me, patted my shoulder and said good night.
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| Sumi Girl |
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| Yimchunger Naga girl |
A beautiful morning next day cheered me up and we left to visit town of Zunheboto. On the street I saw people with a contrast-beautiful women in the modern attire and the traditional ones wit their radiant faces. Wow! I looked around further at the distant rolling hills and awesome surroundings.
Zunheboto
The beautiful town of Zunheboto situated at the height of 1874 meters ASL was home to the Sumi Naga. The Sumis practiced headhunting like other Naga tribes before the arrival of the Christian missionaries and their subsequent conversion to Christianity.
Later we visited some awesome places:
GHOSHO BIRD SANCTUARY
Located 8 km away from Zunheboto district headquarters, this bird sanctuary was solely maintained by the village community. This sanctuary was the habitat of more than twenty species of endangered birds. we could see some migratory birds.
SATOI RANGE
One of the only remaining virgin forests left in Zunheboto district, was a place of pristine beauty! Lush green trees and vegetation thickly cover the walkways welcomed us! This place was the natural habitat of Blythe Tragopan, a rare bird on the verge of extinction. This was our outdoor camping and we trekked enjoying nature.
The next day while on my return journey, I was still thinking about Headhunters....I drifted into early 20th century .how soothsayers( predicting future) could predict in which direction the enemy was lying and the time and direction in which the warrior should move. Then a warrior brought his prized trophy of a chopped head home, placing it on a platform made of a banana trunk until the head began to rot. Then a ritual was performed and the skull was.., suddenly I was awake! Zao tapped on my shoulder and was smiling at me, "Where are you?" she asked.
For formalities to enter Nagaland, tour operators and my Nagaland adventure, read earlier post:
http://aceguide.blogspot.in/2013/04/a-travel-to-mystic-nagaland.htmlBelow is a short awesome video on Headhunters:
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