Monkey skulls tied to a tree in Nagaland, Northeast India

I unexpectedly encountered this tree festooned with monkey skulls in the Konyak Naga village of Nyahnyu. Where I come from a monkey skull is a rare thing. The tree also had several old mithun skulls affixed to it. Konyak Nagas have loved to hunt since time immemorial. Longhouses and meeting halls in Konyak villages are often decorated with huge numbers of animal skulls. Human skulls collected in headhunting raids were also once commonly displayed, though these have become harder to come by in recent years.

The most common skulls one sees in Konyak decorations are those of mithuns, followed by barking deer, bears, and wild bores. While walking through the Konyak dominated part of Nagaland in February 2023, I only came across monkey skulls on a handful of occasions, and they were usually incorporated into highly valuable handmade bamboo and monkey fur baskets.

This is in Mon district, Nagaland, in Northeast India. The closest road head is in Phomching. You can also reach Nyahnyu by walking from Longwa village.

I’ll be posting several videos on Nyahnyu in the coming weeks. While it’s not one of the more famous Konyak villages, it’s culturally fascinating and more than worth a visit.

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