The 23rd edition of the Hornbill International Festival 2022 entered its fourth day on Sunday at the Heritage Village Kisama. Various activities such as cultural dances, bamboo weaving demonstration, distribution of pocket size Bibles, chicken coop-making competition and many more competitions and activities marked the fourth day of the ongoing 10-day festival.
Bamboo Weaving: A live demonstration at Bamboo Pavilion
Old age craft of weaving baskets is one of the tourist attractions at the 23rd edition of the 10 days on-going Hornbill Festival at the Bamboo Pavilion, heritage village Kisama.
Positioned at the entrance of the Bamboo Pavilion, Tuli Cluster, showcases live demonstrations of bamboo silver and mat making.
Amenla Jamir, a member of a self-help group ‘Yimkum’, shared that the self-help group comprising of 10 women in Tuli town often come together and weave to meet the demand for bamboo products especially baskets, mats and trays where several tourists have also experienced practically the age-old craft of bamboo making.
Speaking to Nagaland Post, Jamir informed that in a day, they can weave up to 3-4 small sized baskets and 3-4 (4×8 ft) mats.
Trained under Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency (NBDA), by a resource person at Guwahati unit in 2004-5, Yimkum SHG is linked with the NBDA where they receive orders monthly and also worked with Jasmina Zeliang, founder of Heirloom Naga, a textile firm based in Dimapur.
She said the return is good for a living, however gathering of raw materials and the whole process takes more time.
Jamir informed that orders usually consist of 500 mats ranging in size and basket and others were done on orders with diverse designs and colour and also the prices of the baskets range from Rs. 50-400 while the mats ranges from Rs. 50-120 depending on the designs.
She also shared that the whole village of Tuli has been engaged into the art of weaving. This traditional form of weaving has become popular over the years with a lot of interest from the population and the Yimkum SHG also gives training under NBDA.
Chicken coop-making competition
To revive the art of making handicrafts, the department of Tribal Affairs organized a chicken coop making competition for the first time at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama on December 4. The event was sponsored by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.
According to DIPR report, 18 participants took part in the competition which witnessed weaving chicken coops with bamboo material, which is a basic and handy item used for storage in households. Nagas are good at making handicrafts but the knowledge and art are disappearing, especially among the younger generation. To revive the art, the organizers conducted the competition and it plans to hold the event again next year during the Hornbill Festival.
Eunice Keppen, the only female participant in the competition won the first prize with a cash award of Rs. 15, 000, Kivihu Kinny was adjudged the second prize winner and got Rs. 10, 000, while third prize with a cash prize of Rs. 5000 was awarded to Mangkhohen. In the best chicken coop design category, Jill was adjudged as the winner.
4500 Bibles distributed in 4 days: Kraho
As tourists and visitors from across the globe swarm at the heritage village in the on-going 23rd Hornbill Festival, feasting and enjoying the festival, Bible Society of India (BSI) has been distributing pocket sized Bibles, New Testament edition free of cost, outside the Kisama Church from Day 1.
In an interview with Nagaland Post, president BSI Kohima branch, Those Kraho pointed out the importance of spreading the word of God in today’s world adding that he has distributed approximately 4500 copies of Bibles to locals, domestic and international tourists in the first four days of the Hornbill Festival and is aimed at distributing about 10,000 copies by the end of the 10-day festival.
Kraho recalled that this initiative started during 2017-18, stating that irrespective of tribe and religion, BSI have been distributing to all people and these pocket-sized Bibles were meant to be read, or kept in the vehicles or put in bags to keep one safe and feel protected.
He informed that BSI have been distributing these books in schools, hospitals free of cost, encouraging people to read and understand the word of God. He said the Bible were distributed as a form of gifts to all passers-by during the Hornbill Festival, the book that contains the word of God, love and peace for their protection and guidance. (Correspondent)