P. Longang Leo Konyak
An Introduction:
Every community has festivals and its own stories and folklores which are connected with the past and present customs, Myths and reality. There are several festivals which are importance to the socials set up, Economics pratices and Political system of the community. Likewise the various festivals of the Konyak Naga society has its own importance and significance and different villages and regions call their festivals by different names and the dates also vary according to the convenience of the each village and locality but the mode of celebration and festive activities are same and one. And every festival of Konyak Naga is something or other related for good harvest in terms of sacrificial offering and ritual performance. Among the many festivals Aoleang in Konyak, Oriah in Wancho and Monyiu in Phom stands the first because it has connected with so many socials, economics and political interest but the Harvest festival call Lau-ong Mo is second to none and it is second most important festival in terms of celebration, expenses and significant. And this Harvest Festival Lau-ong Mo is known by different names such as Aonye, Lau-Mo, Kongfi, Laudongle Lickyam and Chachaban. There are several festivals among the Konyak Naga community such as Aolean-Mo, Leangha-Mo, Lau-ong-Mo, Wantu/Hahwang-Mo and the meaning of Wantu/Hahwang-Mo words are Jungle Cleaning Fest. And during this occasion a priest of the village has to perform rites and offer sacrifice and predict that which crops in the field can be yielded in maximum. Nyau-Mo/Changnyee-Mo etc. and this Nyau-Mo/Changnyee-Mo may be understood as Fasting and Abstinent feast.
Lau-Ong-Mo (The Harvest Festival)
The Harvest festival generally known as Aonye, Lau-Mo, Kongfi, lickyam and Chachaban and it is one of the most important festivals of the Konyak (Naga) community. This festival is a Thanks Givings and Acknowledgement for bountiful reaped of the varieties of crops in Jhum fields and Gardens in the preceding harvest season and though dates are varies yet celebration occurs in the month of September every year. And this harvest feast is not only for bumper harvest but also expressing gratitude for good life, healthy lives stock and also safety from the stroke of epidemic, famines, un-natural death and natural calamities. This festival is celebrates right after the harvest of all crops is finished by the whole community in one go and during this occasion every food grain that were produced in the fields, gardens are cooked and serves and ex-change among the friends, relatives and in-laws and every household prepare the feast by slaughtering lives stocks and the priest of the village perform rites and predict the future course of harvest and life and also expressed the thanks giving for good crops. And during harvest feast Gong Drums are beat and food grains are exposes in the sun light for proper dry up specially seedling to be preserved for next Jhum-field sowing seed season.
Even though harvest festival is celebrated as community feast yet an individual or single family can do separate harvest fest those families who have reaped maximum food grains and varieties of crops in the preceding consecutive years. The individual family harvest fest is known as Nakyam and this word terminology of local dialect may be applied as drying or exposing its food grains in the sun light and simultaneously expressing its gratitude for bumper reaped and also to recognize the family as wealthy man or family in the society. And this feast organize by one individual family is more expenses than that of a Aoleang festival in terms of expenditures as single family has to feed whole community, friends, relatives, in-laws and guests from neighboring villages. For this reason, numbers of lives stocks are to be slaughtered and varieties of food grains items are to serve in the occasion. And this single family who had hoisted harvest fest must have almost all kinds of lives stock reared by him and also one or more granaries should be owned which stores its crops, food grains and other valuable assets.
And subsequently a big size of tree is fell and make a Log-Drum and carve with wealthy man designs, and from wooden itself a flat style timbers are sliced with different designs and patterns on the timber and these wooden timbers are used as wall and some time Tiger figure is carved on the pillar, and this act of fest, feeling of Log-Drum, Tiger figure carve pillar and wooden walls and doors are decorated and it symbolize rich man house in the community and the size house and wooden wall, doors and pillars designs and patterns decoration may easily identify the wealthy man house in the village. And this fest is known as Ghum-Ak and Po-chai in local dialect. The log-Drum and Tiger figure Pillar and making of wooden wall is done by the individual or family who had already hoisted the Harvest fest. During this harvest festival occasion every item of food grains shall be served and exhibited and every domestic lives stock are slaughtered and this practice signifies as the person/family is wealthy enough and it is also says that, those individual or family who had hoisted harvest fest can only give away food grains on credit or loan to the others in the village and only the multi-richness is worthy of hoisting harvest fest. Even though a family has reaped abundance of food grains in one particular year can not hoist the feast but the family must have reaped bumper harvest in a consecutives harvest seasons, should have stored two or more granaries and rear different kinds of domestic lives stocks, owned numerous ornaments, assets and properties in terms of land, forests, bamboo grove etc and other words, it is an show up feast and recognizing celebration as rich man and after this fest, the family is treated as wealthy family in the village or area.
And the another significant of the hoist of Harvest Fest and feeding of the community is sharing of his richness and wealthy and Thanks Giving to the provider, the God and for the fullest and abundant life and also recognize him as wealthy man and his family can be called as Hakpa Nok which means Rich Man House in the village.
