There was so much mystery over this place I had never been to until four years ago. My mind was full of questions: are there only tribals there? Do they all eat only dog meat? Are they all anti-India? But after my visit there, my perspective changed: they have a very distinctive tribal culture but most of them are more westernized than in big cities; most of them speaking English and dress in western clothes. And no, they don’t all eat dog meat, pork is their favorite dish and while some tribes eat dog meat, it’s a delicacy that they relish. And while they have been through a lot of militancy and political turmoil, the man on the street is very friendly.
The best way to get a glimpse of Nagaland and its culture is to visit the state in December. For 10 days, the whole of Nagaland celebrates its tribal culture as part of the Hornbill Festival. Sounds of war drums, tribals in colourful clothes and headgear, and occasional whoops of different war cries… it looks like a setting for a movie. But this is Kisama Heritage Village on the outskirts of Kohima in Nagaland, the place where the festival is held.
Nagaland has a very distinctive tribal heritage, with 16 main tribes. During the Hornbill Festival, each tribe is given a designated area inside Kisama where they build a traditional cottage, or morung, where they showcase the traditions of their tribe. Each morung is has its own distinguishing carvings and style so by looking at the morung, a local can easily identify the tribe. They also use different forms of clothing, body tattoos, ear and other body piercings, weapons and food that givethe tribe a distinct characteristic.Forexample, the Konya is a warrior tribeand they have tattoos on their face and other parts of the body, giving them a fierce warrior look.
You can spend the whole day at Kisama, enjoying the tribal dances and village sports competitions like bamboo climbing and the chilly eating competitions, the food courts with traditional fare and the crafts village.
Kohima, during the festival, gets very colourful. There is a night bazar which is enjoyed by the locals. They come out in large numbers to eat food from street-side stalls, shop for baubles and dance to the music of local garage bands. You get to eat a variety of local food from noodles to momos and other distinctly Naga dishes. Kohima also has a rock festival to coincide with the Hornbill Festival. If you get lucky, you can get to hear some of the best local, Indian and International rock groups playing there.
One of the things you must do is visit a village. One of the most popular villages to visit is Khonoma. There are several homestays available there for a comfortable stay. Khonoma takes pride in being one of the cleanest and greenest villages in India. They take pride in their village and you will see clean roads, lots of greenery and best of all, no garbage strewn around.
Another must visit place is the World War 2 cemetery, where the Britishand Indian troops fought the Japanese and stopped their invasion of India. It is very serene place with well-kept graves as a tribute to the brave solders that lost their lives in the battle.
The festive season there is so attractive that I’ve already been there twice and am getting ready to go there for a third time. The Hornbill Festival season is the best time to visit Nagaland as it gives you a full perspective of the place.
(This article was published in the recent issue of Karnataka Today Magazine)
