Troupes continue tribal showcase on day-eight of Hornbill Festival

Our Correspondent
Kisama, Dec. 8 (EMN): An array of tribal presentations depicting agricultural practices, folk music and tribal dances were the highlights of day-eight of the 20th Hornbill festival at the symbolic Naga village Kisama, near Kohima town.
The Rengma troupe opened the stage with ‘Kerasii,’ a song that is sung when weed are being cleared. An enactment of the Naknyulam-Chang festival was also performed to show how the Chang tribe in Nagaland celebrates the festival. This was followed by the Ao troupe playing a game which involved players hopping on to bamboos and trying to stay there as long as possible.
Kwasui, a folk dance, was also performed by the Zeliang cultural troupe. The Sumi cultural troupe performed ‘Ami Kukula,’ or fire making, which was followed by the Pochury troupe performing ‘Eza Eza,’ a folk song. The Kuki troupe presented a folk dance ‘Sagol Kengkhai,’ as did the Kachari troupe with their folk dance‘Dhasiri Dimapuri.’
Likewise, the Sangtam cultural troupe performed a folk drama depicting rituals to eradicate insects and rodents from fields.
Depictions about field cultivation among others were presented by the Konyak troupe. The Garo troupe also gave a performance about ‘Loong Dea,’ a stone lifting event. The Chakhesang troupe then presented ‘Khutho Lizo,’ an enactment of preparation of paddy field and transplantation.
Further, the Angami troupe demonstrated a preparation custom ‘Theze dze keya,’ which prepares young boys for war. The Phom troupe then performed ‘Shum-Shu Yankhu’ a song and demonstration of rice pounding. The Yimchungru troupe performed ‘Alemtsaba Lentsaba,’ a folk song.
A folk song for a fallen warrior was performed by the Lotha cultural troupe, while the Khiamniungam showed ‘Nyeiplao,’ a traditional tattoo activity that signifies the wealth of a person as it was believed that in the afterlife the spirit can sell the tattoos in exchange for goods.
The governor of Assam Prof. Jagdish Mukhi Ji was the special guest of the event, while Lt. Gen. Sukhdeep Sangwa, DGAR, was the honoured guest.

Kiti Silat a highlight
Our Correspondent
A 17-member Kiti Silat team under the Nagaland Pencak Silat Association (NPSA) performed a mixed form martial arts on the eight day of the ongoing Hornbill Festival at Kisama. The group comprised five women and 12 men.
The Naga Kiti Silat is a mixed martial arts form from Nagaland. It encompasses art forms of Indonesia and various martial arts and sports styles. This art form involves striking, grappling techniques and throwing, alongside employing natural body movements. It is said to develop balance and economy of movement.
The team was formed on January 15 2016 led by their president Khevishe Sema. The group has its headquarters in Dimapur. The association was registered with the Home department and affiliated with the Indian Pencak Silat Federation.
The players of the NPSA have won awards at the regional level as well as nationally.
Apart from providing career courses, it also teaches self defence skills, particularly for young women as they face various situations in the society.
The martial art sports is said to enhance and strengthen self -awareness, self-discipline, integrity, responsibility, loyalty and teamwork amongst practitioners, according to additional inputs from the government publicity agency, the department of Information and Public Relations (IPR).
“It is an artistic sport, originating from South-East Asia. Pencak Silat offers soft simple exercises for everyone wishing to improve their physical strength. It is practiced purely for sports and fitness, for the aesthetic beauty of the art or for the chance to learn one of the world’s few remaining traditional martial arts system,” the IPR stated.

Colours of Nagaland
Our Correspondent
A night parade with the theme, “Colours of Nagaland,” marked the eighth-day of the Hornbill Night Carnival with legendary Indian footballer and Padmashree awardee Bhaichung Bhutia as the special guest, and Larsing LD Sawyan, vice president of the All India Football Federation, as the guest of honour of the event, on December 8 in Kohima.
The night carnival saw one of the most eventful nights in Kohima where contingents from the police, military, Bharat Scouts and Guides, models and artists, and colourful cultural troupes from various tribes marched through the lively streets of Kohima amid crowds during the one and a half hour event.
Bhaichung Bhutia, who arrived in Kohima on Sunday, told Eastern Mirror at the carnival that he was impressed by the parade, and that he would be in Kohima for the festival even on Monday. “I think the Night Parade was wonderful. I think it’s very nice and interesting! I just got to come to Kohima today but I’m looking forward tomorrow as well,” the football ace said.
Bhutia and Sawyan was accompanied by Abu Metha, advisor to the chief minister of Nagaland.
Referring to the cultural troupes who passed through the streets with folk dances and songs, Vrat Baghel a visitor from Uttarakhand who came to Kohima with his wife said it was a very “unique and different experience” to see Naga culture and the various tribes.
He was appreciative of the military marching bands and the Bharat Scouts and Guides too, marching the streets with pipes and drums. “I think it was very interesting as well to see the military marching bands and the Bharat Scouts and Guides during the March. My wife is a textile person so she saw lots of traditional Naga textiles. So, that was really interesting,” Baghel added.
Arunima Mitra, another visitor who came with her husband from Bangalore for the first time to Nagaland, said she had a wonderful experience. Referring to the different dialects in which songs were sung by the marching troupes, she said, ‘Though they sounded similar but are actually different.’
Mitra praised Nagaland for “it’s rich heritage” with different languages besides their cuisines too.
Cintimo Jemo, a local youth who runs a stall at the carnival, said the Night Parade was captivating that the whole street got ‘overcrowded’ where it was almost impossible to sell his gloves, mufflers and caps.

Riders
The government publicity agency the department of Information and Public Relations (IPR) also gave updates on Sunday about the Hornbill festivities at Kisama.
Another event that was conducted as part of the Hornbill festival was the “riders’ meet,” which is organised every year by the Nagaland Motorcycle Club (NMC) in collaboration with the state government.
The event culminated on December 8 at Kisama. The event was flagged-off on December 6 at the Phezou resort in Tuophema village.
The president and founder of “the Tribe,” Zhazo Pienyii, said that the ‘riders’ meet’ is organised every year to ‘promote universal brotherhood among the riders across the globe irrespective of caste, creed, region etc,’ the IPR reported.
That said, the IPR reported, the meet is “also being organised to boost tourism in Nagaland by encouraging and promoting the event outside the state.”
Altogether 120 riders from Bhutan, seven north-eastern states and other parts of India participated in the event, the updates stated.

Reliance Jio at Hornbill
Cellular service providers Reliance Jio is also at the festival. The departments of Information & Public Relations, Tourism and Information & Technology have been partnering with Reliance Jio Info Comm Ltd. for the past four years and give extensive coverage of the Hornbill festival to the outside world via both print and electronic media. The idea is to “protect, preserve, promote and showcase the uniqueness of Naga heritage and its rich traditions and culture” through the Hornbill festival, the IPR asserted.
Jio is associated with Hornbill festival for the past four years. In the second year of its association, live streaming on Jio TV and Jio Chat have been started along with a separate channel exclusively on Nagaland Hornbill festival.
Nagaland Hornbill is the first state cultural event of the whole Northeast region on digital platform covering social media from Reliance Jio account.
“It is stated that 8,15,000 organic impressions have been received in addition to more than 3,00,000 viewership of this event. Live streaming will be available till the next Hornbill festival and usage of wi-fi free of cost up to 1 GB per day per user is available till the festival is over,” the IPR stated.
People from across the globe got access to live streaming, video clips and photographs of significant events at Kisama. The Hornbill festival 2018 is said to be the first festival of eastern India to get data streaming on social media. Internet login banners were installed at strategic locations at Kisama and the Agri Expo in Dimapur, which help people make voice calls access free data, the IPR stated.
Jio is covering the event for 10 days on Jio TV app and providing data connection by installing free Wi-Fi booths at different locations of the festival venue, it was informed.
A separate channel called Jio Chat has been allotted entirely to Nagaland Tourism to showcase the Hornbill Festival. Reliance Jio app has announced an annual partnership with the stated departments and will continue to bring exclusive connectivity to its users, the IPR added.