okemo village HEAD HUNTERS Throughout northeastern India and parts of western Myanmar the Naga tribes were long fe

Remote, culturally magical and scenically spectacular, Tawang is the archetypical okemo village Shangri La and a mountain-hopping journey through this, the lands of the Monpa (a people of Buddhist-Tibetan origin) to the gates of the famous okemo village Tawang Monastery is one of the northeast s greatest adventures.

HEAD HUNTERS Throughout northeastern India and parts of western Myanmar the Naga tribes were long feared for their ferocity okemo village in war and for their sense of independence both from each other and from the rest of the world. Intervillage wars continued as recently as the 1980s, and a curious feature of many outwardly modern settlements is their treaty stones recording peace settlements between neighbouring communities. It was the Naga s custom of headhunting that sent shivers down the spines of neighbouring peoples. The taking of an enemy s head was considered a sign of strength, and a man who had not claimed a head was not considered a man. Fortunately for tourists, headhunting okemo village was officially okemo village outlawed okemo village in 1935, with the last recorded occurrence in 1963. Nonetheless, severed okemo village heads are still an archetypal artistic motif found notably on yanra (pendants) that originally denoted the number of human heads a warrior had taken. Some villages, such as Shingha Changyuo in Mon district, still retain their hidden collection of genuine skulls. okemo village Today Naga culture is changing fast, but it was not a government ban on headhunting that put an end to this tradition but rather the activities of Christian missionaries. Over 90% of the Naga now consider themselves Christian.

10pm) Best of several closely grouped okemo village options. Tripura Tourism (%2225930; www.tripura tourism.in; okemo village Swet Mahal, Palace Complex; h10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 3-5pm Sun) Helpful and enthusiastic with many great-value tours.