Travelogue Nagaland

Planning the Trip

Nagaland is mystic land. It has many different names like Land of Tribes, Land of Head Hunters -----.

Not much is known about the state and the people in other parts of the country. Only thing known is that it is disturbed area and not tourist friendly. We were told that the Naga people don’t consider themselves as part of India and actually hate Indians. Thus we were warned and cautioned repeatedly that it is unsafe to travel to Nagaland.

While on Mizoram trip in March 2019 we talked to our Guide Mr. Maliana, who had become our friend. I also inquired from SIO (State Information Officer) Nagaland, National Informatic Centre Govt. of India. (Since I was part of Min. of Communication and IT till 2009, I can tap them for any information.). Every where I got the same response that it is perfectly safe for tourists. The next big question was when? It was not so difficult. Since Hornbill festival (01 – 10 Dec ) is the time when complete culture of Nagaland is showcased at one place, we decided to be there during that time.

The population of Nagaland consists of almost 1.9 million people, of which 1.04 million are males and 0.95 million females. Among its districts, Dimapur has the largest population followed by Kohima. 75% of the population lives in the rural areas. The state is inhabited by 16 major tribes - Angami, Ao, Chakhesang, Chang, Kachari, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Kuki, Lotha, Phom, Pochury, Rengma, Sangtam, Sumi, Yimchunger and Zeme-Liangmai (Zeliang).

Apart from Nagaland, Naga tribes reside in Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh states of India, and also in Myanmar.

We wanted to study different tribes, their culture and also famous places. Google Sir was of great help and we decided that we must visit Mon, Mukokchung, Khonomo, Kohima as well as Hornbill festival to understand Naga way of living. Since we wanted to be part of Nagaland society during our visit, we conveyed to our tour operator Alder Tours (which is quite reputed one) that we have no qualm in staying in Homestay with basic amenities and we are not fussy about hotels.

Accordingly Alders made a good tour proposal covering Mon, Mukokchung, Kohima, Khonoma and 3 days in Hornbill festival. Hornbill festival is scheduled from 01 Dec to 10 Dec. We decided to take the tour from 25 Nov to 8 Dec 2019. Unfortunately there are limited flight options to Nagaland and daily flights are not there. Since Mon was our first stop, we had to go via Dibrugarh.

25 Nov 2019 (Monday) – Delhi to Mon, Nagaland

At Dibrugarh Airport Mr. Keja, the representative from Alder Tours was waiting for us. After 7 hours hazardous journey from Dibrugarh airport we reached Mon (our first stop) and checked in the Hilsa cottage Homestay with very basic amenities (No TV or WiFi). Had delicious dinner of Chicken and slept.

26 Nov 2019 (Tuesday)- Longwa and Tangana villages

It is my fast day. After breakfast we started at 09.00 AM and reached Longwa village around 12.00 PM.

It is village of Konyak tribe on Indo Myanmar (Burma) border. We visited blacksmiths house to have glimpse of life without modernity. We interacted with the people living there and found them to be very happy.

Village Longwa

Mr. Keja explained that majority of Nagaland population reside in villages. Even after embracing Christianity, villages have preserved their customs and value system.

The family is the basic unit of the Naga society and is the most important institution of social education and social control. Marriages are usually monogamous and fidelity to the spouse is considered a high virtue. There is deep respect for parents and elders in the Naga society. Material inheritance, such as land and cattle, is passed on to the male offspring, with the eldest son receiving the largest share (indicating that the society is pseudo-egalitarian).

Every tribe has a chief called Ang. We visited Ang’s house. The unique feature of this house is that one part of the house is in India and other part is in Myanmar. Ang is 43 year nice gentleman. Our guide Mr. Keja was very helpful in helping us talk to people not knowing English. He knew Nagamese which is interface language between different tribes apart from English.

With Ang (Tribal Chief) - Longwa Village

At this point point let us have a glimpse of languages in Nagaland.

Nagas have more language diversity than any other ethnic group or states in India. Naga people speak over 89 different languages and dialects, mostly unintelligible with each other. However, there are many similarities in between different languages spoken by them. Grierson's classification system groups Naga languages into Western, Central and Eastern Naga groups.

In 1967, the Nagaland Assembly proclaimed English as the official language of Nagaland and it is the medium for education in Nagaland. Other than English, Nagamese, a creole language form of the Assamese language, is a widely spoken language. Every community has its own mother tongue but communicates with other communities in either Nagamese or English. However, English is the predominant spoken and written language in Nagaland.

The entry gate to the Ang’s house has one part in India and other part in Myanmar (Burma). This is unique and not observed any where in the world. We were told that residents of the village have dual citizenship of India and Myanmar. Myanmar children come and study in Indian schools and vice versa.

Standing between India and Myanmar

We also happened to meet Mr. Hongo who was man with Tattoo on his face. He explained that at the age of 23 years when he hunted the enemy’s head then he was entitled to put Tattoo on the face. It was prestigious thing those days to earn tattoo. He is now 75 years old and is in very good health. He offered us tea prepared by him.

Close Interaction with Head Hunter

Our guide Mr. Keja informed us that very few head hunters are there in existence and all of them are more than 70 years old. Head hunting was stopped in 60’s, when christianity came to village.

We was some children sliding from height on wooden cart. Mr. Keja explained that children are playing with Go-Cart which is traditional game of Nagaland like Wrestling or Tug of War. There are regular Go-Cart competitions between different villages. It will also be showcased in Hornbill Festival.

Indigenous Game Go-Cart

It was lunch time. My wife had got the lunch packed in Hilsa Cottage in the morning. We went to a nearby homestay where she took the lunch after getting it heated. All the people we met so far were very nice and courteous.

We just roamed around village to enjoy the nice environment and ambiance.

Longwa Village

We started for another tribal village called Tangana which was again Konyak tribal village. On the way, we saw many men and women carrying wooden logs on their backs. Mr. Keja explained that the wood is used to meet the energy requirement of the households. For fire, the wood is cut in the forest and tribal man/woman carry the logs on their back to home. As the gas supply is reaching the towns this practice is on the decline.

We kept thinking about the physical strength of Naga people as well as the hardship they undergo to survive.

Tribal Men/women carrying Wooden Logs

We stopped for 5 minutes on the way to enjoy the beautiful sight of sunset.

Sunset Longwa Hills

When we reached Tangana village, it was getting dark. We straightway went to Ang’s (Chief’s) house. He was not present but lady of the house warmly greeted us. She insisted on taking tea with her. She even presented some local tribal spices to my wife.

We came back tired and slept after having nice vegetarian dinner.

27 Nov 2019 (Wednesday) -Wangla, Honphoi and Chi villages

In the forenoon, we visited Wangla tribal village to get a feel of simple life of tribal families. They grow rice by Jhum cultivation (also known as the slash and burn agriculture). The vegetables are grown in their gardens. They dry the rice in summer and store it to be used in later part of the year. Most of the houses have pig farming also.

All the families we visited offered and insisted on having tea with them. Coming from Metro city like Delhi, it was new experience to us.

A typical village house has toilet/bathroom outside the house. There is one room which is centre to their living. There is kitchen in one corner. In the centre is fireplace where fire burns all the time. From the ceiling but 4 feet above the fire hangs a basket having 3 or 4 levels.

Each level of the basket contains some items to dry. The tribal men/women make use of the heat of fire to dry the meat, spices as well as rice thus making optimum use of the energy. For fire, wood is cut in the forest and carried by tribal folks on their back.

Tribal Home Kitchen

Each tribal man carries a weapon strapped on his belt. The weapon is called Dah and made of iron in the shape with broad blade and long handle similar to ax. The weapon is used to fight with enemy and /or wild animals.

We came across a huge empty building prominently standing at a height. Our guide said that this village community hall called Morung.

Morung

He further explained that in the past villages were divided into a certain number of clan territories or khels. The village is a well-defined entity with distinct land demarcation from neighbouring villages. Each has a dialect, which fosters a strong sense of social solidarity within the village. The people of the village are held together by social, economic, political and ritual ties. The villages have their own identities, but not in isolation, as there are interdependent relationships with neighbouring villages. Modernization is slowly eroding these values.

Each khel had a community centre called Morung. The morung was a self-governing body aiming to protect the village and train men. In the past, morung used to be youth dormitory, and was an essential part of Naga life. Young boys and girls were admitted to their respective gender dormitories where Elders conveyed the Naga culture, customs, and traditions from generation to generation through folk music and dance, folk tales and oral tradition, wood carving and weaving.

The morungs were grand buildings, constructed at the village entrance or in a spot to be effectively guarded. Announcements of meetings, the death of a villager, warnings of impending dangers, etc., were made from the morungs by the beating of log drums. Since adopting some modern practices, the Naga have abandoned the use of time in morungs for their youth.

Inside the morung, we saw wooden log which is hollow tree trunk cut about 5” horizontally along with a big wooden hammer. Mr. Keja explained that the sound made by striking the hammer was used to communicate people in the village and nearby villages about any impending attack, or crisis point using coded language.

Log Drum inside the Morung

The next village we visited was Honphoi. There we met number of Tattoos men in a group. A number of foreign tourists were taking photographs with them and offering money. We spent some time with head hunters ( Mr. Keja acted as interpreter).

The Ang offered us banana and tea. In the group of head hunters, one person was 110 years old and another was 100 years old as mentioned by Ang. Both were walking. As head hunting was stopped in 60’s, all the tattoos men were more than 70 years old. It felt that in 20-30 years time tattoos men will become extinct.

We also took photographs and offered money at the end.

In the Company of Head Hunters - Ang and Mr. Keja

In the Company of Head Hunters

These persons have found that their tattood face can earn them good money as part of tribal tourism.

At first we felt bad on this commercialization but we remembered similar incidence in Rome where guard at Colosseum in Roman uniform demanded 10 US$ for simple photograph with him. Also boat man in Venice demanded 10 US$ for just photograph while sitting on the Gandola. Similarly in Russia, we had encountered people in the costume of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and Stalin demanding money for photographs with them. We didn’t feel bad after that.

In the late afternoon, we visited village named Chi. Mr. Keja took us to a large tree with number of vertical stones around it. He explained that some villages had tradition that whenever an enemy head is hunted then a stone is raised at a central place near morung and head is hung at the gate of hunters house. Thus these stones are basically trophies earned by headhunters. We must have seen around 40 stones explaining the bloody past.

Chi Village - Stone Trophies for Heads Hunted

We found Chi village as quite developed with good houses and roads. We also saw a person carrying freshly killed rat. On inquiring he replied that it is for the dinner. First we were taken aback but then we remembered what we read that Nagas eat everything which flies, swims, crawls or walks except humans.

Came back late in the evening and slept after good Dinner.

28 Nov 2019 (Thursday) – Mon to Mukokchung

Today we started early after breakfast and drove to Mukokchung. It was hazardous drive as road construction was in progress. We were told that 4 lane road is under construction from one end to other end of Nagaland. Gaurisagar, Assam was on the way and we also saw Tea Gardens of Assam.

Tea Gardens, Assam

We had lunch on the way. We were pleasantly surprised that vegetarian food was available everywhere.

We stopped on the way for 10 minutes to enjoy the beautiful sunset view.

Sun Set View - Mon to Mokokchung

Reached Impur Heritage Centre managed by Mrs. Aben around 7.00 PM. Impur is a town 15 KM away from the heart of Mukokchung town. It is also Headquarter of Ao churches in Nagaland.

With Mrs. Aben, Mr. Keja and Driver in Impur Guest House

Mrs. Aben was very nice lady and made every effort to make us comfortable. She even invited us to her house nearby for coffee after the dinner. At her house, we felt as if we are part of her family.

29 Nov 2019 (Friday) -Longkhum,Ungma and Mopungchuket

villages

In the morning, on breakfast table, our guide, Mr. Keja told us that the love story of Jina and Etiben reverberates in Mukokchung district. The story is similar to Romeo and Juliet.

Both Jina and Etiben belonged to Ao Naga tribe and lived in village named Mopungchuket. It was custom in Ao Naga tribe that boy has to pay dowry to girl’s father to marry her. Jina was a poor boy whereas Etiben’s father was very rich. Etiben’s beauty was known throughout the region and many rich and good looking men wanted to marry her. But Etiben was deeply in love with Jina. Soon their love affair became talk of the town.

Etiben’s parents were greatly opposed to their relationship, and asked Jina for dowry if he wanted Etiben as his wife. Before Jina could arrange the money for dowry, another rich and handsome man named Tenyur came with the dowry and Etiben was married off to him. But love follows no logic and has no bounds. Etiben couldn’t forget Jina and both started meeting secretly in the fields.

One day Tenyur had caught them red handed and beaten Etiben until she became unconscious. She felt sick and finally she died. Jina also fell sick and ultimately died. Thus Jina and Etiben’s love got united only after their death. A tower commemorating their story stands tall in Mopungchuket.

We visited Longkhum village located in the south-west corner of Mokokchung District. We found it to be very clean and prosperous Ao village. It is a place with lush green forest of the Naga Hills, including the undulating hills. It is in these forests that Jina and Etiben used to meet. Down the rock formations we trekked the stone pathway and saw the footprints of Jina and Etiben, the adored love birds Romeo and Juliet of Nagaland.

Longkhum Village

Meeting Place of Etiben and Jina

Spot of Jina and Etiben Meeting

We also visited the grave and statue of Imkongmeren popular Naga freedom fighter.

Mr. Keja explained that Imkongmeren was born in Longkhum village in Mokokchung, in 1900. He spent his lifetime serving the Naga people till his death in 1979. He was elected president of the Ao Tribal Council. He played a leading role in constituting the Naga National Council (NNC) and then on he took active part in uniting the Nagas under the banner of NNC.

Memorial of Imkongmeren- popular Naga freedom fighter

We spent some time and enjoyed the panoramic view of Doyang river.

Panoramic View from memorial

We saw that Nagaland is in festive mood and everywhere preparation for Christmas is in full swing. At many places, Santa Claus puppets were being put.

Christmas Celebration Mood in Nagaland

We then started for Ungma village. On the way we stopped at picturesque village of Sangratsu and enjoyed our walk in the beautiful landscape. We were interrupted by a lady who enquired about us and then insisted on having tea with us.

Tea at Sangratsu village

Ungma is ancient and largest village of Ao tribe. Like Longkhum, it is very prosperous Ao tribal village. It has a community centre for elders, where they are engaged in making of handicraft items. It also has beautiful morung building with large and beautiful Log Drum

Morung Building at Ungma

Famous Log Drum at Ungma Morung

We then returned back to Impur via Mopungchuket village which is almost next to Impur. It is called cleanest village in Nagaland. We visited a beautiful garden with a hanging bridge. It also has a park where 7 beautifully carved wooden statutes are around it. We also made friendship with a local family who was visiting the garden.

Hanging Bridge - Mopungchuket Garden

Carved Wooden Statues - Mopungchuket Garden

Mr. Keja then took us to Tower built in the memory of Jina and Etiben. We spent some time on the top of tower enjoying the scenic beauty.

Jina and Etiben Tower

On the Top of Jina and Etiben Tower

View of Mopungchuket Town from Tower

Today, after dinner we again went to the house of Mrs. Aben for coffee and general chitchat.

30 Nov 2019 (Saturday) – Koio &Tsemenyu Villages and

Kohima

Today we had to visit some more tribal villages and then go to Kohima, the capital city. Having learnt that Saturday is my fast day, Mrs. Aben had prepared a special plate of cut fruits for me.

As we were seated in car and ready to start our journey, she told us to wait and went inside the house. She came out after 2-3 minutes and explained that she has prayed for our safe and successful stay in Nagaland. We were deeply touched.

We first visited Koio village of Lotha tribe which was like any other village we had seen so far. The next village we visited was Tsemenyu belonging to Rengma tribe. Mr. Keja took us to village square where number of big monoliths with engraving were present . He explained that Rangma tribe had a tradition to raise a monolith for special events to be remembered later. The engraving on monoliths provided the detail of actual event and also when it occurred. The event may be truce/ end of war treaty between two tribes, death of a prominent person etc.

Engraved Monoliths at Tsemenyu Village

In fact all tribes (Rengma, Angami, Chakhesang, Zeliang,Pochury, Poumai, Maram, Mao,Thangal and Inpui ) belonging to Tenyimia group followed this tradition. Another distinction is that almost all the Tenyimia villages practice terrace cultivation, unlike other villages which follow jhum cultivation.

In the evening, we reached Kohima and directly went to our place of stay Cedar Homestay, located at Kigwema. Mr. Keja told us that this is in close proximity to Kisama heritage village (venue for Hornbill festival). We found it an excellent place to stay. After delicious vegetarian dinner we slept quietly.

01 Dec 2019 (Sunday) – Maram Khullan Village and Hornbill

Festival

Today morning after delicious breakfast, we took a visit of the campus of Cedar Homestay. It is beautiful place situated at the foot of Mt. Japfii (second highest peak in Nagaland) and close to the well known Dziikou valley.

Cedar Homestay - A view

We were visiting the garden when the owner of the Cedar, Dr. Akho Yhokha interrupted us and gave us full tour explaining the variety of plants and trees. He later told us that complete garden was planted by him and he personally takes care. We also came to know that he is Ph.D in Applied Biochemistry. He informed that the Kiwi fruit eaten by us during the breakfast were from the garden only.

He himself being nature lover has developed the place as quiet and peaceful, ideal for nature loving people. He along with his family (Wife, Son and 2 daughters) took special care to provide best hospitality possible. The room was well equipped, the view from the balcony beautiful, and the food was delicious. The two daughters Visi and Levi in particular were always available all the time during our complete stay.

Mr. Keja arrived around 9.00 AM. Since inauguration of Hornbill festival was scheduled in the late afternoon, he proposed that we may use the time by visiting a Naga village in Manipur. We readily agreed.

The journey to Maram Khullan, village of Maram Naga tribe took us around 2 hours. As we crossed from Nagaland to Manipur, we didn’t find any appreciable difference between two states.

We visited Chief’s house in the village. The chief is called King here. The facade of King’s house has special carving of skulls representing number of heads hunted. The carving also has a male and a female sex organ to signify fertility in the village.

Chief's House of Maram Khullan village of Maram Naga tribe

We were also shown a special stone which is restricted for anybody outside the tribe to touch else it will invite calamities.

We met two beautiful girls who invited us to their little house. They offered us roasted chestnut and milk. This culture of inviting totally strange persons to their house and offering something to eat without any expectation is new and marvelous experience. It is not give and take culture but give and give (love) culture that we had not experienced at other places.

We were told that Maliim festival is being celebrated by Maram tribe today. It is male only festival where male folks work to prepare feast without assistance of women.The rice and chicken is procured and prepared by whole community of male members. Home utensils, Home water and even home spices are not used in the cooking.

Maliim Festival - Food Preparation in Earthen Pots

(https://infomaramdocs.wordpress.com/maliim-maram-naga-ritual/)

Water is procured from natural spring, earthen pots are used and only fresh ginger from field is used as spice. Even match sticks are not used for lighting the fire. The fire is lighted by old way of creating friction by rubbing of bamboo thread with wood and thatch.

The food is eaten on banana leaves Even abstinence is followed by males in the previous night. We went and talked to the people when they were eating. They told us some families who were blessed with children or any other good news give chicken and rice for the festival.

We were also told that after 15 days there will be another male only festivity as part of the annual traditional festival of Maram tribe, Kang-hi which is marked by naked wrestling of males.

(https://www.facebook.com/609427895800863/photos/a.609479205795732/923198587757124/?type=1&theater)

We silently commended the resolve and efforts of all Naga tribes to keep their old tradition alive in the age of internet and mobile phones which they have also embraced.

Hornbill Festival – Brief Background

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbill_Festival )

Nagaland is called the Land of Festivals as each tribe celebrates various festivals throughout the year in different seasons. Singing and dancing comes naturally to Nagas as mode of expression of emotions in festivals or other important occasions. The Nagas consider their festivals sacred, so participation in these festivals is essential.

To encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote cultural heritage of Nagaland, the Government of Nagaland started organizing from year 2000 onwards the Hornbill Festival every year in the first week of December. The festival was conceptualized to showcase Naga culture, both traditional and contemporary in the spirit of unity in diversity.

The festival is named after the Indian Hornbill, the large and colourful forest bird which is present in the folklore of most of the state's tribes. The festival is held in Heritage Village in Kisama which is 12 KM from Kohima city. The village was specially created to protect and preserve the ethnic cultural heritage of Nagaland. An important part of the village is cluster of morungs of 17 different tribes each depicting their unique culture.

During Hornbill festivsl, people can visit the morungs to understand and appreciate their unique way of living. Thus a visitor gets a ringside view of all the Naga tribes. The Hornbill festival has greatly helped in changing the tourism scenario of the state.

Where the cultural programs under the banner of Cultural Connect is organized in Main Arena (Open Air theater) of kisama Heritage Village by Department of Art and Culture Nagaland, other departments organize many other events in Kisama and other parts of the city to showcase other aspects of Naga Society. In fact the whole of Kohima comes alive during these 10 days.

Other Festival activities include heritage village walk (Tuophema village, Khonoma village and Mima village), fashion shows, the Miss Nagaland beauty contest, traditional archery, Naga wrestling, Naga Chilli eating and Pineapple eating competitions, indigenous games (like Go-Cart, Tug of war, stilt bamboo walk race , traditional fire making etc.), the traditional Naga Morungs exhibition and the sale of arts and crafts, food stalls, herbal medicine stalls, flower shows and sales.

In the evenings a programme of music concerts, catering for all tastes, ensures that the festive spirit continues through the night. One of the major highlights of this festival is the Hornbill International Rock Festival, where local and international rock bands perform.

The festival both exposes the culture and tradition of tribal peoples, and reinforces Nagaland’s identity as a unique state in India. Hornbill festival is rightfully called the festival of festivals.

While returning in the late afternoon, we went for the inauguration ceremony of Hornbill festival in Main Arena (open air theater) of Kisama Heritage village in Kohima. We saw number of foreign as well as Indian tourists who had come specially for this purpose. The whole auditorium was filled to capacity.

The Prime Minister of India was expected to inaugurate but he couldn’t make it. The festival was inaugurated by the Governor and the Chief Minister of Nagaland. After the speeches, both of them struck the gong to start the festival. Different tribes presented dance program to showcase their culture in 5 minutes each. The whole dance program enthralled everybody and took around 1 hour. The festival will continue till 10 Dec. 2019.

Hornbill Festival Inauguration Cultural Panorama -1

Hornbill Festival Inauguration Cultural Panorama -2

Hornbill Festival Inauguration Cultural Panorama -3

Hornbill Festival Inauguration Cultural Panorama -4

Hornbill Festival Inauguration Cultural Panorama -5

Hornbill Festival Inauguration Cultural Panorama -6

02 December 2019 (Monday) – Hornbill Festival

After sumptuous breakfast at Cedar homestay, we came to Kisama Heritage Village as we had decided to spend the whole day with Hornbill festival. The cultural program presented in Main Arena consisted of two parts. In the forenoon (10.00 AM – 12.00 Noon), nine troupes and in the afternoon (1.00 PM – 2.30 PM), eight troupes of various tribes presented one aspect of their culture in 10 to 15 minutes allocated. Thus visitors get to view one cultural aspect of each of 17 tribes in a day.

The programs are well laid and printed in brochure. The organizers have given lot of thought while laying the program for each day and taken care of variety in the performances. Not all dances or games are presented in the same session to keep alive the interest of spectators.

In the forenoon session, we saw programs by cultural troupes of 9 different tribes : Victory Dance (Angami), Drumming (Ao), Barefoot Hop Game (Chakhesang), Song & Dance (Chang), Traditional Game (Garo), Blowing of Bamboo Flute (Khiamniungan), Folk Dance (Konyak), Lya-hoi, holo-Iye - a folk song (Lotha) and Earthen Pot Baking (Phom). All the performances were beautiful with very good commentary.

View of Main Arena - Hornbill Festival

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -1

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -2

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -3

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -4

At 12.00 Noon, the forenoon session ended and everybody proceeded to visit Morungs of different tribes, where their life style was displayed. We visited different morungs and participated in their dances and took photographs with the tribal folks in their traditional attire standing as well as dancing.

Inside a Morung

Spending Time with Tribal Folks -1

Spending Time with Tribal Folks -2

Spending Time with Tribal Folks -3

Spending Time with Tribal Folks -4

Spending Time with Tribal Folks -5

Spending Time with Tribal Folks -6

The tribal people readily agreed for photographs with the visitors. Each morung was having canteen where both vegetarian and non vegetarian food was available. The rice beer was available in bamboo glass in almost all the morungs. We took vegetarian lunch in Kachari morung and came back to see the afternoon programs.

Afternoon session had programs by cultural troupes of 8 different tribes : Nazhu Folk Dance (Pochury), Mwsaglangnai Folk Dance (Kachari), Traditional Fire Making (Rengma), Hoeing Song (Sangtam), Leg Fight (Sumi), Log Drum Display (Yimchungru), Jangchalam Folk Dance (Kuki) and Nlei Nlap Traditional Fire Making (Zeliang). All the spectators thoroughly enjoyed the performances.

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -5

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -6

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -7

In the evening Winter Fantasia was organized in the Main Arena where Musik – X group presented Classical and Jazz music. It was getting very cold so we quickly moved to our homestay.

We experienced that Nagaland weather in December fluctuates during the day. In the morning, sun rises around 6.30 AM and it is very cold that time. It becomes quite hot during the day. The sun sets around 4.30 PM and it starts becoming cold. By 7.00 PM, it becomes very cold. It is popularly said that Nagaland weather fluctuates like girl’s mood.

03 December 2019 (Tuesday) – Local Kohima and Hornbill

Festival

Today our guide was a beautiful girl named Senele, as Mr. Keja had some other assignment. It was planned to visit local Kohima in the forenoon and Hornbill festival in the afternoon.

We first went to Cathedral constructed by Japanese in memory of their soldiers who died in second world war. It was quite an imposing building but we were not allowed inside.

Japanese Cathedral

Japanese Cathedral with Ms. Senele

Next we went to local market and saw rats, frogs and other worms like silk worm, snail, squirrel, honeybee, grass hoppers being sold for eating in addition to chicken, pork, fish, beef and lamb. Yes, It is true that Nagaland people eat everything which flies, walks, swims or crawls except human beings. Senele told us that pork and silk worms are quite popular here. We felt foul smell and couldn’t stay long.

Local Market - 1-- Worms (Silk Worm) on Sale

Local Market -2 -- Worms on Sale

Local Market -3-- White Rats on Sale

Our next stop was War Cemetery where soldiers who died in second world war were buried. Senele told us that Muslim and Christian soldiers were buried as per their religious practice and names are engraved on their graves. Hindu soldiers were cremated by fire and their names are engraved on a stone dedicated to their memory.

War Cemetery-1

The cemetery also had the graves of unknown soldiers who couldn’t be identified. Senele took us to grave of one muslim soldier who was only 16 years when died. She told us that he was the youngest soldier who died in the second world war. Thinking about 16 year old boy fighting and dying in war was quite touching.

War Cemetery-2

War Cemetery-3

We next went to Kohima Zoo. There is nothing interesting except Hornbill birds which we could see. It is said that the bird is towards extinction.

Hornbill Bird in Kohima Zoo

Having completed local Kohima we proceeded to Hornbill festival. We could enjoy four cultural performances of afternoon session by different tribes : Stinging Nettle Weaving Technique (Khiamniungan), Wanagla Dance (Garo), Raid on Enemy Village (Chang) and Howe Folk Tune (Angami).

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -8

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -9

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -10

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -11

At 2.30 Pm, when cultural program wrapped up for the day, we went to Kachari tribe morung and had simple vegetarian lunch. Nagaland people may be eating anything but there is enough for vegetarian people.

We were told tat War Memorial near Kisama Heritage Village is worth visiting, We decided to walk down to the War Memorial and found it quite interesting. It depicts unbiased account of Kohima war between Japanese and British. The role of local Nagas who helped and also fought with British has been mentioned vividly.

War Memorial -1

War Memorial -2

After that, we saw other stalls like Herbal medicine, Artist Corner etc. and came back to our homestay as it was getting cold. A Folk Drama was to take place in the Main Arena, but being tired we decided to miss it.

04 December (Wednesday) – Nagaland Museum and Khonoma

village

We realized that Nagaland Museum has been missed out. So we went to museum in the morning.

The Naga architecture, their custom, social hierarchy, culture and costume, all are displayed in the museum. The main items displayed here include statues, gateposts, pillars and jewellery. It also houses a rare collection of artifacts of 16 tribes, which inhabit the state. Some of the artifacts displayed in this museum include clan motifs, necklaces, precious stones, traditional costumes and inscriptions.

Nagaland State Museum -1

Nagaland State Museum -2

The art gallery showcases the Naga Morung that are the hut models, showcasing the variance of architecture between the tribes. There are several musical instruments, made of bamboo and buffalo horns are also on exhibition in the museum. The museum is excellent as it depicts all aspects of tribal life of Nagaland. It is must visit by all.

We then proceeded to Khonoma village (of Angami tribe) located about 20 KM from Kohima. Khonoma has been declared as first Green Village of the country. Our guide Mr. Keja belonged to Angami tribe from Khonoma village only. Thus he knew both history and geography of the place by heart.

(https://unconventionalandvivid.com/khonoma-village-asias-first-green-village/ )

On reaching the entrance of the village , we left the vehicle outside and covered rest of the visit on foot as vehicles are not allowed inside this village. Mr. Keja told us that it is part of Green Initiative taken by the village.

Khonoma Battles

Khonoma has a tragic and bloody history. It was epicentre of Naga resistance to the colonial invasion. All other tribes looked to Angamis of Khonoma for leadership. It fought no. of battles (from 1830 to 1880) with British Army. The British Army burnt the village many times for retribution. Mr. Keja showed us the fort which was used by Angami Nagas to fight .

Khonoma Fort

View from Top of the Fort

What is remaining of fort is just the front wall and staircase to go up only one floor. Apart from history that Nagas fought their battle with British, there is nothing interesting. If you compare with the forts of Rajasthan, you will be disappointed.

He also took us to the hill having memorial site for British Political officer G.H. Damant who was killed in Oct 1879.

G.H. Damant Memorial

The fort has the memorial stone for three other British officers, namely, Major C.R. Cock, Sub. Major Nurbir Sai and LT. H.H. Furbes who were killed in the battle in Nov, 1879.

Memorial Stone for Major C.R. Cock, Sub. Major Nurbir Sai and LT. H.H. Furbes

The battle went on till 1880 when finally a truce between the two sides stopped further bloodshed. In 1880 a peace treaty was signed between the British and elders of Khonoma and a cat was halved to signify that. The village elders still narrate tall tales of the war with pride. Christianity was introduced in the village in 1890, and today most of the villagers are of this faith.

Khonoma again came under attack when one of the fiercest battles of the Second World War, the Battle of Kohima started on 4 April 1944, in which British and Indian troops fought against the Japanese offensive in the northeast of India. The Japanese were defeated. Village elders told us to remember number 4 as Japanese army started firing Khonoma at 4.00 PM on 4 – 4 - 44.

Khonoma takes Green Initiative

We saw village houses with tin roof rather than thatched roof in other villages seen so far. Mr. Keja explained that due to unbridled deforestation, wastage of natural resources and hunting of animals and birds, environment of the village had deteriorated to very large extent. Situation became so bad that one couldn’t hear bird chirping.

In 2005, some educated Angamis living outside discussed with village elders and started talking about Green Initiative. After prolonged and repeated discussions lasting months, village elders could get convinced. A number of initiatives were taken to preserve water and cutting of trees and hunting was completely banned, saving the forest.

The Khonoma Students Union took upon themselves to conduct regular cleanliness drives. The Central Govt. also allocated funds of Rs. 3.0 crores for the initiative, which was utilized by villagers for building roads and stone blocks for walking. The entry of motorized vehicles was also banned.

The terrain of the village is hilly, ranging from gentle slopes to steep and rugged hillsides. The hills are covered with lush forestland, rich in various species of flora and fauna. The state bird, Blyth’s tragopan, a pheasant now nationally endangered, is reportedly found here.

Khonoma Village Hills

Khonoma is famous for its forests and a unique form of agriculture, including some of the oldest terraced cultivation in the region.

Khonoma Valley View

Khonoma Terrace Cultivation

We spent around 30 minutes just sitting and enjoying the view of beauty of valley with terrace cultivation.

Concept of Age Groups

Mr. Keja explained us the unique concept of Age Groups in Khonoma. Under this, group of children of certain age (after puberty i.e. more than 13 years) are allocated to an elderly wise couple who provides them moral education as well as makes them aware of their duties towards society. For example, one Age Group may have children from 14 to 19 years whereas other may have individuals from 20 to 25 years etc.

Many of the social activities of the village are undertaken by Age Groups and there is even competition different Age Groups for carrying out social activities. Each of the Age group has its Age Group house to conduct meetings, celebrate their after event success, share meals together etc. We saw some Age Group houses and social activities conducted by them.

Feast of Merit

Mr. Keja showed us a house with decorative horns in the facade. He told us that in the past there was ceremony called Feast of Merit where a family needing recognition as wealthy used to give a feast to the entire village with traditional food and meat . This ritual entitled him with the privilege to erect a monolith in his name and adorn his attires and house with decorative motifs or horns. It was a significant ritual to honor the person during his lifetime and remembered even after death.

Feast of Merit House

Houses with Graves

We witnessed house with large stone boxes in the verandah. Mr Keja explained that there is no cemetery in the village and these boxes are actually graves of the family members. While constructing the house the platforms or boxes are constructed with hollow space for coffin at the base and these are used to bury the members of the family on their death. These platforms/boxes are used for day to day household activities also. We also saw few houses with the graves one above the other. This was something we had neither seen or heard anywhere.

Community Driven Initiatives

We came across the houses with women weaving the shawls. Mr. Keja told us that Khonoma has also earned praise for its Community Driven Awareness.

There are cleanliness drives and competitions that encourage kids and youth to actively participate in cleaning the village and keeping it litter free. There are dust bins set up at every corner and barely any littering found in the village.

To save water, Khonoma has Community Water Tanks and residents of village manage that and use that effectively.

Community Water Tank

Khonoma Students Union (KSU) plays a very important role in educating kids in maintaining cleanliness and organize sanitization awareness campaigns. Recently, Khonoma has even banned use of plastic.

Flower competition is a part of education where the kids are given seeds and pots and asked to bring it back with flower blooms after few weeks or months, a reason why flower pots are seen at every corner and household.

The dustbins and waste material is cleaned every month and disposed off appropriately with help of incinerator, leaving no scope for waste material to be dumped.

Organic Farming and Shifting Cultivation

Mr. Keja then took us to show the Organic Farming and Shifting Cultivation.

Mr. Keja told us that a plot of forest land is cleared by cutting down trees partially and burning the area to create an open land. Such area is mostly used for cultivating vegetables like cabbage, carrots, radish, beans, potatoes, chilly, tomatoes etc. After two or three years, the cultivation is shifted to another patch of forest land allowing the previous patch to recover and regain its soil fertility.

The Alder trees that form part of the forest ecosystem helps in preventing soil erosion. The log wood and leaves are used to enhance soil fertility. The branches are cut for firewood and carpentry wood from alder trees which grow again.

Role of Alder Tree in Shifting Cultivation (Source - Internet)

Alder is particularly noted for its important symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacterium. This bacterium is found in root nodules, which may be as large as a human fist, with many small lobes, and light brown in colour.

The bacterium absorbs nitrogen from the air and makes it available to the tree. Alder, in turn, provides the bacterium with sugars, which it produces through photosynthesis. As a result of this mutually beneficial relationship, alder improves the fertility of the soil where it grows.

The shifting cultivation is an age old practice in Nagaland that aims at sustainable agriculture without disturbing the eco-system and soil fertility.

Self Payment Shops

We also saw some Self Payment shops with money boxes and item kept neatly. The shopkeeper was absent and printed rate list is displayed. People wanting any item can take it and put the money in the box. Mr. Keja told us that it is very common here.

We silently commended the honesty of the people here. We can’t think of something like this happening in Delhi. I remembered similar incidence in a Mizoram village during our visit in March 2019.

Self Payment Shop

We feel that Khonoma in true sense is model village for the whole country and world at large and lot can be learned and adopted from here.

Since it was getting dark and cold, we were dropped at Alder Homestay which was in the middle of jungle. The ambiance was very nice. The facilities were very basic but it was run by a nice couple who made all efforts to make us comfortable. The food prepared by them was delicious. We slept immediately.

05 December (Thursday) – Khezhakeno village

Morning after breakfast, we spent some time moving around and enjoying the ambiance with birds chirping. The owner took initiative and showed us around. His knowledge of birds, animals and trees was astounding. We said good bye to our host couple after promising to visit again.

We started our visit from Khezhakeno village in Phek district. Mr. Keja explained that the village is widely renowned for its historical significance as it was the home to the ancestors of the Nagas. It used to be home for several different tribes which dispersed and migrated over time to other parts of North-East India. There is a monolith with engraving to mention this. The present native inhabitants of this village are known as Chakhesang Naga tribe.

He took us to a site containing some flat stone slabs. He showed us a stone and said that according to legend this stone had magical power in the past. The stone is called TSO TAWO (Spirited Stone). According to legend when a basket of paddy was kept on the stone in the sun, it used to become double-fold by the evening. The magical power of the stone is now gone as it was burned and destroyed.

TSO TAWO (Sprited Stone)

We then saw Lowho lake. It is beautiful lake in serene and calm ambiance. The lake is situated in the middle of a scenic and gently curved valley with lush green landscapes. It is located on top of the high hills and draws its water source from the springs of Kapamedzü Range. Mr. Keja told us that there is tourist rush on weekend here as it is popular picnic spot.

Lohwo Lake

We then went to Chida mount and spent quite some time there enjoying the natural beauty of the place. We had some snacks and tea which Mr. Keja had arranged there. We also met some tourist police who are specially appointed to look after the safety of tourists.

Chida Mount View -1

Chida Mount View -2

Chida Mount View -3

In the evening we went to guest house of North East Network. The guest house is in the middle of jungle on a mountain top in calm and serene atmosphere. It was managed by a beautiful lady Ms. Akhrole, who is connected with social activities of North East Network.

During dinner she explained that North East Network (NEN) is a women’s rights organization working for women irrespective of their diversity and regardless of ethnicity, sexual/gender identity disability, culture and space. NEN also connects to different civil society organizations on development and social justice issues within North East India.

She said that fruits of their efforts are visible in the Chizami village which we will see tomorrow.

06 December 2019 (Friday)- Chizami, Thetsumi and Zhavame

villages

Today morning we moved around the guest house premises and enjoyed the ambiance of the place. It seemed that we were in the midst of clouds. After breakfast, we went to Chizami village.

Chizami village

Mr. Keja explained that this village has become model for socioeconomic reforms and environmental protection in the Naga society. This model focuses on health issues, women’s rights, community programmes, food security, and environmental conservation.

The success of Chizami largely goes to Monisha Behal (founder of North East Network) who started working in 1994 to improve women’s health standards in the state.

Story of Women Empowerment

In Naga society, women work largely in the unorganized sector that includes farming, food processing, and weaving of Naga shawls. However they were paid much less than men.

Through her sustained efforts in January 2014, village council passed the resolution for equal wages in agriculture labour.

Looking beyond shawls, the weavers have diversified into large number of products from stoles, cushion covers, to table mats that are now shipped to emporiums in all metro cities. The project has also brought about gender justice to women. Today the weavers support their families and also raising their voices on issues of health, livelihood, and environment.

Chizami Women Empowerment Project (Source- Internet)

Story of Food Security Achievement

NEN is also working to address another major concern of the villagers – food security. The fragile mountain ecosystem in Nagaland has been increasingly experiencing the wrath of climate change with irregular rains and rising temperatures.

NEN is now working to revive millet-based biodiverse agriculture in the villages of the district. An integral part of Naga culture, millets are highly climate-resilient and nutritious crops. Among crops, millet is the only one that is edible even after 30 years of storage and can provide nutrition at the time of drought.

The village council now has two women members. Chizami is today visited by youth from Kohima and neighboring villages for internships in the Chizami model of development.

Chizami Millet Based Biodiverse Agriculture (Source- Internet)

We moved around this beautiful village and interacted with people. It is very scenic with very hospital people. We had tea with one of the families. We also saw beautiful catholic church building. Majority of Nagaland people are baptist but there are few catholic churches as well as temples and mosques.

Thetsumi Village

Mithun is state animal of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. We couldn’t see it during our visit to Arunachal Pradesh few years back. We expressed our desire to see Mithun at close quarters during our visit to Nagaland.

Mr. Keja took us to the Mithun forest of Thetsumi. Thetsumi is a large village located in Chizami circle of Phek district, with total 639 families residing.

Mithun Rearing

Farmers of Thetsumi (home to the Chakhesang Naga tribe) were previously growing the crop using Jhum Cultivation (slash and burn agriculture).

Considering its adverse environmental impact they have switched to rearing the Mithun which came out to be potentially profitable alternative. A part of the village and surrounding woodland (800 hectares)has been designated as a “Mithun forest and dedicated it to breeding the Mithun popular for its high-protein, low-fat meat and milk. We could see Mithun from nearby and even could take photograph of the animal.

Close Interaction with Mithun

Rockbee Hunting

Mr. Keja then showed us the Rockbee nests in nearby mountains. He informed us that Nagaland is home to a variety of honeybee like the common honeybee, little bee, rockbee and the stingless bees. It has good potential for production of different types of honey with its own distinctive flavors to cater to the taste buds of different consumers.

(http://www.thenortheastwindow.com/2018/06/nagaland-home-variety-honeybee/)

Rockbee Calonies (source - Internet)

He told us that rockbee hunting is very dangerous and people have lost their lives in the process. Most of the rockbee hunters are in a small village Mimi, under Kiphire district. The ownership of rockbee sites is being passed on from families over generations like property transfer from father to son.

Further there is a belief that rockbee sites are guarded by the spirits of the land due to which the owners of the site, even to this day, ensure that the spirits are appeased by worshiping them and offering sacrifices before honey harvesting.

To promote sustainable livelihood opportunity through beekeeping and preservation of this ancient art, Nagaland Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) is taking initiative in promotion of honeybee rearing and art of honey harvesting.

We also visited Thetsumi village with beautiful surrounding.

Thetsumi village

Thetsumi has a beautiful Baptist Church building which we enjoyed visiting.

Thetsumi Baptist Church

Zhavame Village

We then proceeded to Zhavame Village famous for organic farming. Zhavame is a Village in Pfutsero Tehsil in Phek District. It is near to the Manipur State Border. Mr. Keja told us that Zhavame is known as Vegetable Village as it produces and supplies vegetable to the people in the region.

The rough, rugged and undulating terrain of the Naga villages are unsuitable for cereal crops on economical scale. Permanent terrace rice cultivation is predominantly practiced in the villages, which was quite insufficient to sustain the livelihood of the people.

Story of Vegetable Village

Villagers of Zhavame realized that undulating terrain may be advantageous for the cultivation of horticulture crops especially vegetables. The important vegetable crops grown are cabbage, tomato, onion, garden pea, cauliflower, brinjal, beans and cucumber.

Horticulture department has adopted Zhavame village to implement the vegetable village programme in the year 2009 and villagers are given seeds and other inputs twice a year.

Zhavame people have mastered the art of growing vegetables on the high hills during rainy season, generally referred to as off season cultivation. Production of off season vegetables fetches much higher income and employment opportunity on the hills than any other activities.

The vegetable cultivation and supply has brought all round economic development in the village as many young men, after education have joined the movement as farmers, packers, loaders or transporters. Some are providing market links. The farming activity in the village is also supported by all the out stationed students.

Vegetable Cultivation

Mr. Keja took us to show the fields with vegetable cultivation. We saw large size cauliflowers and cabbages. We were visibly impressed. We feel that other regions of the country need to learn from experiment.

We then proceeded to Pfutsero Town and Glory Peak.

Pfutsero Town and Glory Peak

Pfutsero is a block headquarters in Phek district of Nagaland and is inhabited by mostly Kuzha and Chokri tribes. It is the highest altitude town and the coldest inhabited place in Nagaland. Located at over 2100 meters above the sea level, it is regarded as Nagaland’s Switzerland.

In Pfutsero, Glory Peak is the highest peak and offers beautiful panoramic views over the adjoining valleys.

Glory Peak offers an astonishing and mesmerizing view which one can never forget. It is is one of the highest mountains of Nagaland and famous for not only its spectacular view of the mountains covered with lush greenery but also for its majestic view of the Mount Saramati, (highest mountain of Nagaland) and Mount Everest (World’s highest mountain) . There is a treehouse from where one can see Mt. Everest and Mt. Saramati.

We spent around an hour on the peak. We saw the view of Pfutsero town, magnificant view of valley and the natural beauty surrounding the peak. We saw the beautiful sunset on the peak and then came back to guest house.

View of Pfutsero Town from Glory Peak -1

View of Pfutsero Town from Glory Peak- 2

View of Valley from Glory Peak-1

View of Valley from Glory Peak -2

Sun Set View from Glory Peak -1

Sun Set View from Glory Peak -2

Ms. Akhrole had prepared special dinner for us and we enjoyed the delicious dinner and also talking to her about activities of North East Network.

07 December 2019 (Saturday) – Hornbill Festival

Having known that it is my fast day, the Ms. Akhrole had prepared special fruit plate for me. We bid farewell and started our journey to Kohima.

As our day of departure from Nagaland was coming near we felt attachment to the place and wished that we could stay longer as there were still many things to see and wonders to experience.

Since we wanted to see the Hornbill festival before we leave for Delhi, we directly came to Naga Heritage Village Kisama. We saw wonderful performances by cultural troupes from different tribes: Hari Sikhla Jwng Folk Dance (Kachari), The Cannibal Demon: Folk Tale (Garo), Path Paving Song (Sangtam), Lejole: Folk Song (Sumi), Field Cultivation (Koynak) and War Dance (Lotha).

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -12

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -13

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -14

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -15

Hornbill Festival Cultural Connect -16

We went to Kachari Morung for lunch where my wife had vegetarian lunch and I had tea. Since we had been going there every time, they recognized us and specially greeted us.

In the afternoon session, NEZCC (North East Zone Cultural Centre), Dimapur presented the cultural program from al other states of North East region. NEZCC has been set up with the idea of documenting, preserving, nurturing and disseminating the cultures and art forms of the seven North Eastern States.

All the states of North East presented their cultural performances. The Cheraw (Bamboo Dance) was presented by Team from Mizoram. This dance we had missed in Chapcherkut festival during our visit to Mizoram in March 2019. All the performances were excellent and made us realize the rich culture of other North East states.

Hornbill Festival (NEZCC) Cultural Connect -1

Hornbill Festival (NEZCC) Cultural Connect -2

Hornbill Festival (NEZCC) Cultural Connect -3

Hornbill Festival (NEZCC) Cultural Connect - 4

Hornbill Festival (NEZCC) Cultural Connect -5

Since it was our last day in Nagaland, after the cultural programs had ended, we visited different stalls and purchased souvenir for our home and children.

Around 6.00 PM, Naga Chilli eating competition was held in the main arena. Naga chilli is considered hottest chilli in the world. The competition was open for people from Nagaland as well as visitors from other states and even foreign visitors.

The program was hosted by a beautiful girl who invited all visitors to participate by saying that they must have liked the Naga girls during their visit. One of the reasons why Naga girls are hot is they eat Naga chillis.

Naga Chilli Eating Competition-1

Naga Chilli Eating Competition-2

Most of the participants gave up after 3 chillies. One participant who was local of Nagaland ate 7 chillies. It was exciting to see their expressions while they were eating the chillies.

Later we came to beautiful Cider Homestay, had delicious dinner and relaxed.

08 December 2019 (Sunday) – Departure to Delhi

After sumptuous breakfast, we said good bye to all. The whole Yhokha family had come to see us off. We started our journey to Dimapur Airport for our flight to Kolkatta and then to Delhi.

Acknowledgement:

We thank Mr. Keja who was our Guide during the tour but became more of a friend. He not only helped us in understanding the ethos and culture of Naga people but also provided us many photographs taken from his camera.

https://kantscorner.blogspot.com/2020/04/travelouge-nagaland.html

My Other Blogs -

- Being Indian

https://kantscorner.blogspot.com/2019/09/being-indian_11.html

- V. P. Menon and the Story of of Partition and Unification of India

https://kantscorner.blogspot.com/2019/11/v-p-menon-story-of-partition-and.html

- Let Us Learn Learn Lesson From History – World War I

https://kantscorner.blogspot.com/2021/02/let-us-learn-lesson-from-history-world.html

- Travelogue Mizoram

https://kantscorner.blogspot.com/2019/09/travelogue-mizoram.html