A joint coordination meeting to deliberate on the upcoming 25th Hornbill Festival was organised by the department of Tourism at the conference hall of the department here on Wednesday. It was attended by two representatives from each of the tribe hohos.
Addressing the meeting, commissioner & secretary Tourism Dr. Hukugha Sema emphasised the significance of the festival’s silver jubilee, and sought the support of all tribal hohos and stakeholders in making this year’s event a memorable one.
He mentioned that ongoing construction works at Kisama Heritage Village, the main venue for the festival, were expected to be completed by November 15 and, at the latest, by November 20.
He said this year’s edition, marking 25 years of the Hornbill Festival, had been taken up at the highest level, with frequent meetings being held to ensure that all necessary arrangements were made in time.
To ensure the success of the festival, he called for mass participation in a social work event, scheduled for the last week of October, stretching from Dimapur to Kisama.
The community cleanup aims to beautify the route leading to the festival site. After that, another exercise where local businesses would be conducting shop beautification to welcome visitors in a festive atmosphere would also be initiated.
Hukugha requested citizens to actively contribute to the event preparations, stressing that this year’s festival would not only be a celebration of Naga culture but also a collective effort by the people of Nagaland.
He highlighted the need for the morungs—traditional tribal houses representing Nagaland’s various tribes—to remain authentic and traditional, as they served as the face of the respective tribal hohos. He stressed that all traditional artifacts should be prominently displayed, and morungs should not serve anything but traditional food and drinks.
Additionally, Hukugha disclosed a strict no-plastic policy would be enforced in and around the festival venue. He said even items such as chairs and tables must adhere to this guideline, with bio-segregation and waste management systems in place to promote environmental sustainability during the festival.
During the meeting, representatives of various tribes raised various concerns, particularly regarding the financial challenges of maintaining their respective morungs. A representative of Ao tribe mentioned that Rs 1.5 lakh allocated for morung maintenance was insufficient, especially given the overlapping of tasks during the festive season.
He called for better coordination among the departments to prevent scheduling conflicts.
Representatives of the Eastern Naga People’s Organisation (ENPO) representing eight tribes, including the Eastern Sumi Hoho, suggested that the Tourism Department should ensure that a separate morung was constructed for the Eastern Sumi tribe since it had also come under ENPO now.
They suggested that each tribe have its own morung, with increased support from the government for security measures such as CCTV installations.
Other tribal representatives echoed similar sentiments, calling for enhanced maintenance charges, better remuneration based on distance traveled by participants, and timely and clear communication from the festival’s organising authorities.
A major concern raised during the meeting was the availability of water and power at the morungs.
One Lotha Hoho representative demanded that the morung for Lotha tribe be officially named as Lotha Chumpo.
With water being a significant challenge, he claimed that morungs were purchasing water at Rs 1,000 for 2,000 litre, which was still insufficient. He also emphasised a stable power supply at the venue.
Representatives from the Sumi Hoho and other tribes also requested running water and better logistical support during the festival. Car passes for tribal teams were another point of contention, with representatives calling for the provision of more passes to enable better team management.
The executive engineer present at the meeting underscored educating the public on waste segregation and disposal practices. With the festival expected to attract a large number of visitors, he stressed a comprehensive waste management system to ensure the venue remained clean and environmentally friendly throughout the event.
Chairing the meeting, Tourism additional director T Kakihe Sumi responded to the car pass issue, saying the department distributed the passes based on the availability of parking space at the venue. Since past years had witnessed heavy traffic congestion, he pointed out that the department did not issue too many passes.
He mentioned that there was a likelihood that most cars might be restricted from entering the venue beyond the second gate in the upcoming Hornbill Festivaledition.
With the festival expected to draw even larger crowds this year, the coordination meeting served as a platform for open discussions between the government and tribal representatives.
As preparations intensify, stakeholders have been urged to work together to ensure the festival showcased Nagaland’s rich cultural heritage while addressing logistical and infrastructural challenges.
The 25th Hornbill Festival promises to be a landmark event, celebrating not only Nagaland’s vibrant traditions but also the resilience and unity of its people.