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KOHIMA — As the countdown for the much-awaited ‘Festival of Festivals,’ Hornbill Festival, continues, the preparations at the main festival site— Naga Heritage Village Kisama— are gaining momentum. The sounds of hammering nails, people splitting bamboo poles, and using machetes to smoothen bamboo fill the air as people engage in cleaning Morungs and stalls.
The 2023 edition of the festival will witness the participation of the eastern Nagaland tribes after they abstained from the festival last year. In 2021 too, the tribes withdrew from the festival after the military killing of innocent villagers in Oting village under Mon district on December 4.
Members of the Sangtam community were seen gathering the construction materials to renovate their Morung which was left unattended for the third year. Speaking to Eastern Mirror, Pithrongse Anar, the president of the Sangtam Union Kohima, informed that the actual work will start on Friday.
He said that there were no directives beyond the information that the Eastern Naga People’s Organisation (ENPO) had decided to participate in the festival. However, the Sangtam Tribe has initiated the renovation of their Morung and expressed hope that more communities would step forward and participate in the preparations. Anar expressed happiness to be taking part in the revelry as ‘one Naga’ and said he was looking forward to the festivities.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]The ENPO comprises the Sangtam, Konyak, Chang, Yimkhiung, Khiamniungan, Phom, and Tikhir communities.
There was much excitement at the Tikhir Morung as the community will be participating in the festival for the first time after being recognised as a separate Naga tribe on January 19, 2022. Despite the Morung being constructed last year, it had remained unused owing to the ENPO’s call for boycott of the festival.
Against this background, T Tsuthong, the president of Tikhir Union Kohima (TUK), expressed to this newspaper the community’s excitement and anticipation for the festival.
While the town dwellers have had their share of experiencing the Hornbill Festival, those from the villages have not had the opportunity to witness how the festival is conducted, he said. Tsuthong highlighted the community’s enthusiasm for gaining exposure to the diverse cultural and traditional practices of other Naga tribes.
In this connection, a joint inspection of the Tikhir Morung was convened by the Tikhir Tribal Council (TTC). Its auxiliary organisations including the Tikhir Women Association, Tikhir Students’ Union, Tikhir Gazetted Officers’ Association, Tikhir Students’ Union Kohima, Tikhir Women Union Kohima and the construction committee/in-charges of the Morung at Kisama were also part of the inspection that was carried out on Thursday afternoon. The inspection was followed by a discussion session.
Tsuthong pointed out that the other communities have built various amenities at their respective Morungs over the years, and added that the works at the Tikhir Morung would begin full-swing after the inspection.
He also invited all visitors to explore their Morung during the festival, where they plan to showcase their culture and practices at their best.
Prelude to Hornbill Festival
Meanwhile, a curtain-raising event for the Hornbill Festival will commence at imagi.Land, Kisama from November 24. The event will feature a two-day food and music festival starting 1 pm.