- HOMEGROWN WORLD
- #HGCREATORS
- #HGEXPLORE
- #HGVOICES
- #HGSHOP
- CAREERS
- ABOUT US
- CONTACT US
On 19th September, 1991, Helmut and Erika Simon were climbing the east ridge of the Fineilspitze peak in the Ötztal Alps on the Austria-Italy border when they first saw the body of a man lying face down on the ground, frozen in the earth from the chest below. They thought it was the body of a deceased mountaineer who had passed recently. But when the body was extracted and examined a few days later, it shocked the world: the remains were over 5,000 years old. Now known as Ötzi, the Iceman, the naturally mummified body had 61 tattoos, and is considered among the oldest evidence of tattooing yet discovered.
Tattoos have been a part of human cultures across the world since at least the later Stone Age which began almost 12,000 years ago. Although India has its own ancient tattoo traditions, very little ethnographic work has been done to preserve this intangible cultural heritage and the associated indigenous botanical knowledge system.
Morangam Khaling, better known as Mo Naga — one of India’s leading contemporary tattoo artists — has been trying to change that since the mid-2000s. Mo’s journey as a tattoo artist began in 2004 when he was still studying at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in New Delhi. Since then, he has become one of India’s foremost independent researchers and practitioners of the traditional art and design of Naga tattoos. His ongoing long-term project is the culmination of the last two decades of his life and work — the establishment of a 'tattoo garden' in Tengnoupal, Manipur, which he describes as “a living museum”, to preserve the various lesser-known rare and wild plants associated with the diverse tattoo traditions of different tribes of the region.
Mo has been researching the plants since the late-2000s and actively collecting and growing them since 2012. “I have collected over 20 plants to date,” he says. Parts of these plants like thorns, fibre, fruits, flowers, and branches are used to make the needles, the thread to tie them, the pigments, and the instruments used in traditional hand-tapped tattooing.
“The thorns from the rattan cane plant and wild citrus fruit plants are used as needles, for example,” he says. “At this point, I am still finding and growing them. Speaking to scientists and botanical experts to identify and learn more about these plants will come at a later stage.”
This has not been an easy process. “The difficult topography of the region and the lack of accessibility are the main challenges,” Mo says. “Often, I have to travel to villages and forests in remote parts of the Northeast and that can be expensive.”
It is also, essentially, a race against time.
“With village elders and practitioners passing away, it can be quite difficult to find the right people to learn from. The language barrier is also a challenge. Sometimes I have to work with two interpreters to communicate with elders and practitioners who only speak their native language. It’s not a one-person job.”
The lack of public awareness, funding, and social stigma surrounding tattoos also pose significant challenges. Although there has been renewed interest and support in indigenous textiles and craft practices, tattoo traditions are still largely overlooked and underfunded. Mo had been self-funding his tattoo garden project entirely out of his earnings from his tattoo practice until he received The Himalayan Fellowship for Creative Professionals from FICA India in 2023. Working with students, activists, researchers, and the Ministry of Culture, he has been at the forefront of reviving North-East India’s hand-tapped tribal tattoo traditions.
“It’s not just a study of Naga tattoos,” Mo says. “It is a study of humanity and our connection to nature.”
Follow Mo Naga here.
