The Tribal Ink

Even a century ago, the Konyak tribe of Nagaland was dreaded. These short men with tanned skin, dressed in loincloth which only covered their groin looked naive when they farmed, but transformed into killing machines at war. Armed with Dha (a form of machete) and Spears, they pounced at their foes and mercilessly hacked them to death. But more than their combat skills, it was their after war ceremonies which intimidated many. A Konyak warrior chopped the head of his kill, and hung it by his spear to demonstrate his prowess. It earned him a place among the clan as a warrior- and his face was tattooed to greet him in the ranks.  

Soon after India’s independence, the primitive practice of ‘headhunting’ was banned. Most of the Naga tribes, starving and plagued were baptized into Christendom by the infiltrating missionaries from the West. And with it the trail of the rich heritage of headhunting tattoos went cold. India’s ancient tribes, be it the Konyaks and Angamis of Nagaland to the Mers and Rabaris in Gujarat to Korathis of Karnataka, have long lost their fabled tattoo art. But not anymore as Moranngam Khaling- a 27 year old determined Manipuri fights a lone battle to preserve India’s rich tribal ink.

Famed among the tattoo fanatics as Mo, this qualified Fashion Designer from National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Hyderabad turned professional tattoo artist has opened the maiden Tattoo school in the North East with a purpose- to excavate and conserve the long lost clannish tattoo ensigns and bring it to the fore.

“Very much the Red Indians of America and the Maoris of New Zealand, our primitive tribes have an equally rich tattoo heritage. But we know nothing of it,” complains Mo. Furthermore what add to the injury are the youth’s cravings for the Old School American and Chinese designs. “Young folks also come in for Yakuza tattoos, which are emblems of dreaded Japanese mafia gangs,” he adds.

Mo vows to change that.  After honing his skills for seven years in Hyderabad and Delhi he has come up with his school – the Headhunter’s Ink Tattoo School in Guwahati.  The far-fetched lands of the North East have a passion for needles, but somehow lack the right approach. “People here still use bamboo thorns to pierce their skin, which spoils the entire exhibit and gives them ugly tattoos,” he says. But that apart, Mo’s return to his roots has another intention as well. An ardent student of the needle art, Mo’s research was confined to the online reading materials and several books all these years. This time he wants to visit the tribes, collect their ancient motifs (designs) and work on them.

Many countries have their own brand of tattooing. The Chinese have their dragon and Ying Yangs, the Kiwis have Maoris. Likewise the Americans have Eagles, Old school and Pin- Up (Tattoos of beautiful women) designs. Mo however introduces their Indian counterparts in a flash. “We have Hornbills for the Eagles, Peacock for the dragons and Khajuraho artefacts for the Pin Ups,” he names them in one breath. “Indian designs like that of Lord Shiva and Ganesha are becoming increasingly popular in the West. It is the absence of awareness that makes us fall back,” he clarifies. 

Unexpectedly, among the first clients to get the Naga Headhunters' design embedded on their skin were a British couple, James Paul Smith and Hannah Hatt, who toured the province last December to be a part of the Hornbill Festival. Their long nurtured craving for a head hunting tattoo was finally satisfied by Mo’s needles.

Mo faces a humongous task as he dusts the ethnic emblems and readies it for modern skin. The ancient head hunting motifs which cannot be done on the faces needs to be reworked for the limbs. Similarly, the V shaped designs embedded in the chest of the Naga warriors need more colours today. In the same way, the legendary Khajuraho sculptures can be presented in a more ‘tattooable’ form.

Mo’s school is barely a month old, but has already sparked interest among the keen. Wannabe tattoo artists from Delhi and Mumbai and Chandigarh are already enrolling into the 800 sq. Ft school which promises state-of-the-art training facilities. Trained artists from Mumbai are also willing to train in the tribal art. The school falls in line with Mo’s vision of promoting the near extinct tattoo art of the North East. That apart it also facilitates the local enthusiasts who travel to Delhi for learning the skills, where it is a big industry. “Delhi is home to over 300 professionals. At the same time, the courses are expensive making it painful for the North East people,” says the artist whose studio Headhunter’s Ink is one of the hot spots for tattoo lovers in Delhi. Back in Guwahati, the school courses offer an exhaustive insight to the legendary forms of the artwork that spread across continents. Furthermore, Mo plans to help the aspiring artists all the way by helping them set their own studios once they are ready.

The symbolism may remain, but the reasons for tattooing has changed over centuries. What denoted regimentation, sometimes sacred and sometimes valour has become a purely personal affair. For artists like Mo, tattoos are about “understanding one’s culture, body aesthetics and the art”. An old tattoo saying explains it all- “Show me a man with a tattoo, and I will show you a man with an interesting story”.