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Knowledge nugget of the day: Hornbill Festival

As Nagaland prepares for the grand Hornbill Festival, here's everything you need to know about it. Also, go beyond the nugget and learn about the tribes and festivals of Nagaland.

Naga tribesmen sit with their weapons at the annual Hornbill festival in Nagaland. The festival is celebrated every year in the first week of December. It’s a unique festival of the military tribes from the North-eastern region, and is also called the ‘festival of festivals’. (Source: Express Photo by Deepak Shijagurumayum)

Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here’s your knowledge nugget for today.

Knowledge Nugget: Hornbill Festival

Subject: Art & Culture

(Relevance: Various festivals and tribes form an important part of Indian society. The festivals are also significant from the perspective of art and culture as they reflect the various aspects of any society. Thus, knowing about these festivals becomes important.)

Why in news?

The Nagaland government is all set to organise the popular Hornbill festival, which will take place from December 1 to December 10, 2024. Often referred to as the “Festival of Festivals,” the Hornbill Festival is one of the most iconic cultural events in Nagaland. It will be held at the Kisama Heritage Village, located just 12 kilometers from Kohima, the capital of Nagaland.

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Key Takeaways :

1. Named after the revered Hornbill bird, the festival showcases the culture, heritage, food and customs of Naga tribes and people from these tribes come together to celebrate their traditions with colourful dance performances.

2. The annual programme brings all the 17 tribes of the state on a platform and facilitates promotion of their culture to the rest of the world.

3. The festival is vibrant and full of energy throughout the day, with warriors dressed in full ceremonial attire performing traditional dances and war cries. Each performance tells a story—of victories, harvests, love, and tribal legends. The warriors, adorned with distinctive headgear decorated with hornbill feathers, boar tusks, and colorful woven sashes, create an unforgettable spectacle.

Great Hornbill

1. The great hornbill is found in primary evergreen and moist deciduous forests, primarily inhabiting the canopy of tall trees.

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Female Great Hornbill in Siolim (Photo credit: Stephen Menezes)

2. It is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

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3. In India, Greater Hornbills are found in the Western Ghats and the Himalayas. It is the state bird of Arunachal Pradesh and Kerala.

4. Interestingly, India is home to nine hornbill species, with the northeastern region exhibiting the highest diversity of these species in the country.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: Nagaland- Tribes and Festivals

1. The State of Nagaland was officially inaugurated on December 1, 1963, becoming the 16th state of the Indian Union. It is bordered by Assam to the west, Myanmar (Burma) to the east, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, and Manipur to the south.

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2. The state bird of Nagaland is the Blyth’s tragopan. Mithun is the state animal of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

QUICK FACT- Northeast’s mithun gets ‘food animal’ tag

The mithun, or Bos frontalis of the Bovidae family, is endemic to Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. On average, an adult mithun weighs between 400 and 650 kg. Semi-domesticated and reared in a free-range forest ecosystem, the only supplementary feeding it needs is salt. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recognised the Mithun as a ‘food animal with effect from September 1. With that, the mithun can be commercially farmed, and its meat processed for pickles, soups, wafers, and biryani.

Knowledge nugget of the day: Hornbill Festival At Thetsumi village in Nagaland. Mithuns are usually let loose in a community forest and have rarely required shelter or supplementary feeding, except for salt. (Image credit: ICAR)

3. Nagaland comprises 16 administrative districts, which are home to 17 major tribes, along with several sub-tribes. Each tribe has its own unique customs, languages, and traditional attire, making them distinct from one another.

Tribes of Nagaland
1. Angami	2. Ao	3. Chakhesang	4. Chang
5. Khiamniungan	6. Kuki	7. Konyak	8. Kachari
9. Lotha	10. Phom	11. Pochury	12. Rengma
13. Sumi	14. Sangtam	15. Tikhir	16. Yimkhiung
17. Zeliang

4. Some of the GI-tagged products of Nagaland are Naga tree tomato, Naga cucumber, and Naga Mircha.

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5. Protected Areas in Nagaland are: Intanki National Park, Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary, Singphan Wildlife Sanctuary, Pulie Badze Wildlife Sanctuary.

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6. Nagaland is filled with festivals that reflect its rich culture. Each tribe celebrates its own unique festivals. Notably, over 85% of the population in Nagaland directly depends on agriculture; thus we see that most of these festivals centre around agriculture, which is the backbone of Naga society.

Sl.No	Tribe	Festival	Month
1.	Angami	Sekrenyi	25 February
1.	Angami	Terhünyi	9 December
2.	Ao	Moatsu	2 May
2.	Ao	Tsungremmong	1-2 August
3.	Chakhesang	Sökrönye	15 January
3.	Chakhesang	Tsukhenie	24 April
4.	Chang	Poang Lüm	13 January
		Kundaglün	1 April
		Naknyulüm	31 July
5.	Khiamniungan	Khaozaosie – Hok – Ah	20 January
		Biam	7 August
		Tsokum	5 October
6.	Kuki	Mimkut	17 January
6.	Kuki	Chavang Kut	1 November
7.	Konyak	Aoleang	1- 2 April
7.	Konyak	Lao – Ong Mo	28 September
8.	Kachari	Bishu	27 January
9.	Lotha	Tokhu Emong	6 – 7Novemebr
10.	Phom	Monyu	1 – 2 April
11.	Pochury	Yemshe	5 October
12.	Rengma	Ngada	27 – 28 November
13.	Sumi	Tuluni	8 July
		Apikimti	4 – 5 November
		Ahuna	14 – 15 November
14.	Sangtam	Tsohsu	12 March
		Hunapongpi	18 August
		Mongmong	3 September
15.	Tikhir	Kuhlang – Nyi	18 January
15.	Tikhir	Tsonglak-Nyi	9 October
16.	Yimkhiung	Wangtsunuo	16 April
16.	Yimkhiung	Metemneo	8 August
17.	Zeliang	Mileinyi	11 March
17.	Zeliang	Langsimnyi	31 October

(Sources: Hornbill Festival 2024, nagaland.gov.)

For your queries and suggestions write at roshni.yadav@indianexpress.com

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Roshni Yadav

Roshni Yadav is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She is an alumna of the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she pursued her graduation and post-graduation in Political Science. She has over five years of work experience in ed-tech and media. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. Her interests lie in national and international affairs, governance, economy, and social issues. You can contact her via email: roshni.yadav@indianexpress.com ... Read More