Mon district
Mon district is a district of Nagaland, a state in India. It is the third-largest district in Nagaland in terms of area. The district has a population of 250,260 people. Mon Town is the headquarters of the district.
History
After India's independence in 1947, Tuensang was created as a separate administrative centre and in 1952, it became a sub-division of North-East Frontier Agency under a separate Assistant Political Officer. In 1957, the Tuensang subdivision was bifurcated from North-East Frontier Agency and merged into the Naga Hills-Tuensang Area along with three Districts of Kohima, Mokokchung and Tuensang. The present Mon District was carved out of the erstwhile Tuensang District in 1973. The name Mon originates from its district headquarters. Till 1971, the area presently constituting Mon District was a subdivision of Tuensang District.Geography
Mon District is the northernmost district of Nagaland. It is surrounded by the state of Arunachal Pradesh to its north, Assam to its west, Myanmar to its east, Longleng District to its south-west and Tuensang District to its south. The town of Mon is its district headquarters.Economy
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Mon one of the country's 250 most backward districts. It is one of the three districts in Nagaland currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme.Demographics
According to the 2011 census Mon District has a population of 250,260, roughly equal to the nation of Vanuatu. Mon has a sex ratio of 899 females for every 1000 males, and an average literacy rate of 56.99%.Most of the inhabitants of the district are Konyak Nagas.
Culture
Mon District is the home of the Konyak Nagas. The Konyaks are famous for their tattooed faces and bodies. The most colourful festival of the Konyaks, Aoling, is observed during the first week of April every year.Konyaks are the largest ethnic group among the Nagas. They speak the Konyak language, a Sino-Tibetan language, with each village having their local dialect. The Konyaks were the last practising headhunters among the Nagas which continued into the 1960s. Konyaks decorate their houses with skulls, hornbill beaks, elephant tusks, horns and wooden statues.
Konyaks are ruled by hereditary chiefs known as Anghs, and the institution of Anghship is still prevalent among the Konyaks. Every village has an Angh. Some of the smaller villages are ruled over by neighbouring village Anghs. The Angh's house is always the largest in the village, with a display of skulls in the front as a testament to his capability as a leader. Anghs still rule over the villages of Chi, Mon, Shangnyu, Lungwa, Tangnyu, Sheanghah Chingnyu, Jaboka.
Konyaks are adept artisans and skilled craftsmen. They make excellent wood carvings, daos, guns, gunpowder, head brushes, headgear, necklaces, etc. The older males wear large earrings made of boar horn and a loincloth. Some carry a machete called dao or a gun. The older women wear a short piece of cloth wrapped around their waist only. They carry bamboo baskets on their backs or tie children to their backs with a cloth. The Konyak women are adept in weaving intricate traditional designs and in bead craft. Both men and women wear a lot of traditional beads and brass ornaments. During festivals, the males wear colourful shawls and headgear decorated with feathers, and dance with daos or spears and guns chanting/singing rhythmically. They brew a home-brewed liquor made out of rice. They also farm in the hills by clearing the forests using a method of controlled burning called "Jhum".
The tribe embraced Christianity during the late 20th and early 21st century.