Tattoo artist Mo Naga vows to protect, revive and promote the tribal tattoos of northeast

November 20, 2013; Kohima:

Tattoo artist Mo Naga at a press meet conducted in Kohima on November 20, 2013

Tattoo artist Mo Naga vows to protect, revive and promote the tribal tattoos of northeast
To conduct a 3-day educational seminar cum workshop at Kohima starting tomorrow

One year back, he opened northeast’s first professional tattoo studio cum school in Guwahati, and embarked on a journey towards the revival and promotion of the region’s rich art and cultural heritage through tattoos. Today, after months of travelling and research in the north eastern states, Mo Naga finds numerous unpublished stories, photos and videos disclosing the truth behind the misinterpretations about the age old tribal communities and their signature tribal art.

At a press meet conducted in Kohima today, tattoo artist Mo Naga announced that he is going to conduct a 3-day education and awareness seminar cum workshop in Kohima on 21st, 22nd and 23rd November, as a part of his mission to protect, revive and promote the tribal tattoo of the area. The program will be organized by Headhunters’ Ink and hosted by The Dream Catchers of Nagaland. It has been supported by the Directorate of Art & Culture, Tourism and Industries.

Sharing the experience of his research-based journey, Mo revealed that during his visit to Kohima on numerous occasions and he had the opportunity of meeting few expert local artists, designers and promising entrepreneurs of the area. He was excited to see that there is a huge sense of urgency in everyone including the government bodies, the artists, the entrepreneurs like him to revive the forgotten art and culture of the Nagas which are slowly fading away with time and will be lost forever with further ignorance.

The seminar/awareness program is a substantial collaborative effort in the direction of this mission. Speaking upon the press meet today and the seminar cum workshop to be followed, a design graduate from NIFT, Mo Naga, did not restrict his intentions to promote tattoos alone. Instead, he added that during his stay in Nagaland, he would like to throw some light on the Naga artistic heritage which includes tattoos as symbols of deep and sacred meanings, whose importance go much beyond the headhunting achievements.

Tattoo artist Mo Naga at a press meet conducted in Kohima on November 20, 2013

“I have observed that there is conflict between the prevailing tattoo culture of Nagaland and the opinions expressed by the elders towards the art form. This educational and awareness program is especially directed towards our rich artistic history and symbolism and their interpretations in modern art forms like tattoos and paintings through which the age old designs of our ancestors are still accessible to the people of this age”, explains Mo.

“At the same time, I believe that a deeper understanding of our artistic and cultural history will go a long way in resolving the conflicts and controversies surrounding artistic interpretations like tattoos which is popular in the modern age” adds Mo to convey his aim of transforming the rich culture into an art form he is expert in.

Mo was also overwhelmed by the enormous amount of support from the government officials especially from the Directorate of Art and Culture, Tourism and Industries. He also thanked The Dream Catchers for organising the seminar and congratulated them for their efforts in providing support and a strong platform to the upcoming artists and entrepreneurs of Nagaland.

Commenting on their association with The Dream Catchers, Mo Naga said, “Being aware of the art & culture revival program initiated by the Headhunters’ Ink, they have offered to host us during this event and make this seminar a success. We are glad to have the support of the Dream Catchers and hope this association will go a long way towards fulfilling the cause of reviving the forgotten arts and culture of our ancestors”.