Helen's blog

THE LAST OF THE TATTOOED HEAD HUNTERS
THE KONYAK TRIBES OF NAGALAND, INDIAEvery year, I selected an interesting short film screening at the Cannes Festival's expanding SHORT FILM CORNER section
and was lucky to hit upon a charming couple from India - she, VIKEYENO ZAO, the Director and he - INDRAJIT NARAYAN DEV, Producer and Director of Photography of the film,who made the trip over to promote their work inspite of the volcano ash hinderance.
IN the photo below, taken by Indrajit, both seated to my right :

The film is about the NAGAS, a mongoloid stock of people living in the mountainous regions of North East India whose fourteen major tribes along with their subclans each have different dialects, traditions and customs. Having migrated from the mountains of Eastern China centuries ago, the individual tribes took different routes to reach their present dwellings. These people engaged in head hunting. The most fierce experts of this macabre ritual were the Konuak Nagas, dwelling in the Northern parts of Nagaland which borders Myanmar (Burmra) and the practice went on, till the mid-twentieth century as a part of their survival strategy in a harsh land where they had to fight for their territory against other equally fearsome warrior clans.

Today, The Konyaks, like most of the Naga Tribes are Christians; With the advent of modernity into their lands, the young generation have all but forgotten their past traditions and culture and are forward looking along with the rest of the world however, a dilemna faces these brave and happy people today : that is a political one. In 1972,when the international border between India and Myanmar was demarcated, the border was drawn rifht through their villages and even through their homes. NO consideration was given to the rights of the the Konyans to live as one people, in one country. Thoday, their wish is to live as a homogenous tribe facing and uncertain future.

SEE TRAILER HERE :      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR-glbyVdjw&feature=player_embedded

The film aims to project the Konyaks in their homeland, their traditions and ancient customs and their plight today and is a presentation to the world about these last tattooed Konyak Naga tribes before they are gone forever.

VIKEYENO ZAO, the director, was born in Nagaland, herself, in the hilly town of Kohima and belongs to the Angami Naga tribe. She acquired a Diploma in Direction and Cinematography from the Asian Film and Television Institute, Marwah Studio Complex, Film City, Noida, India.

Experienced in the field of broadcasting media, she did several interviews-based programs on various personalities in the radio program 'Morning Echoes'. A regular announcer for All India Radio, Kohima, Nagaland, she prepared western music programs for Vividh Bharati, New Delhi. As a film maker, se produced and directed numerous documentaries, telefilms and serials on nature and environment of North East India as well as on social and anthropological aspects of the different tribes of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.   Email :  vikeyenozao@yahoo.com

INDRAJIT NARAYAN DEV, an independent film maker from Guwahati, Assam, India is working on various subjects connected with environment, nature, wild life, people and their culture of North East India. He has the distinction of achieving the National Award for Best Director of a non-feature film on the Karbis - a hill tribe of Assam. He has extensively produced, directed and cinematographed films on the different tribes of the Eastern Himalayan ranges in the north Eastern States of Aruncahal Pradesh, Nagaland. Email :     igetic@gmail.com

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