The Naga tribes, especially the Konyak Nagas, have a grand warrior tradition, with ornaments and attire holding huge significance. A beaded necklace with a pendant in the shape of a male face is one of those ornaments that work like a symbol of status, valor, and spiritual power.
The whole necklace is made of elongated beads, with a pendant in the shape of a typical bone-carved male face. The pendant has arched eyebrows, elongated eyes, a puffed nose, and a gaping mouth-a joyful expression that is usually thought to mean something like victory, an ancestral connection, or ritual importance. These are generally necklaces worn by headhunters from the Naga community because their worth is measured or gauged by the successful defeat in the battlefield as a warrior. This necklace may also vary in its significance between clans, with most meanings relating to tribal identity, achievements, and sometimes religious utility.
They were not only used by warriors but also, not too infrequently, by chiefs of villages or priests; in this case, the symbolic representation was of much higher social and ceremonial importance. Because of the artistry involved here, it speaks of the Nagas' great artistic heritage, which has been passed down through generations. Such necklaces are still preserved in museums like the National Museum, New Delhi, as historical evidence of the legacy of Naga warriors, while headhunting has come to an end.