Meet humans of Hornbill: Student, performer, photographer and more

Kohima: The Hornbill festival, popularly known as the “festival of festivals”, has brought people from across the globe to the Naga Heritage Village in Kisama, about 12 km from Kohima. It is the only place where one can experience the vibrant culture and tradition of the various Naga tribes, all together.

What’s interesting is the people who come to the festival from all walks of life. EastMojo caught up with civil service aspirants, photographers, cultural performers, entrepreneurs, tourists, and more, to learn about the humans of Hornbill — the backbone of the festival.

Civil service aspirants cooking their way back to roots

Few meters away from the main arena, we met a group of young civil service aspirants in their mid 20’s and early 30’s who had set up a food stall serving indigenous cuisines and local brews. The group of male friends from Sumi, Lotha, and Chakhesang tribes had met in Kohima when they began preparations for civil service examinations.

One of the aspirants, Inokhu Zhimomi (27) told us how the group of five friends landed at the festival. “We are all currently unemployed. So we decided to earn some money during the festival to pay for our own expenses. We have invested around Rs 80,000. This is our first time and we do not have any expectations and are hoping for the best,” he said.

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The food stall, located on the roadside leading to the amphitheatre, had not witnessed many customers during the first few days. However, situation began to change after the popular indigenous sport—Naga wrestling, was conducted at the Amphitheatre. That was also when we met the group.

Exotic indigenous cuisines like axone (fermented soya bean) with smoked pork, silkworms, snails, and local brews like the different varieties of local rice beer served in bamboo mugs sold like hot cakes. At a time when price of commodities can become a big factor at the festival, the young lads smartly pulled off a business strategy by keeping their products at affordable rates.

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Although local brews were outsourced from Kohima village, they prepared the local cuisines they served. “There is a stereotype that women usually cook. But we have all grown up in kitchens where men also cook, so we learnt how to prepare local cuisines at home and this acquired skill has come to good use this time,” 29-year-old Aboto Yepthomi, one of the co-owners of the stall told EastMojo.

After the festival, these lads would go back to celebrate Christmas and then resume preparations for the civil service examinations.

Telling stories, one roll at a time

Amidst an array of blinding flashlights and camera shutters at the Hornbill festival, Andrew Humtsoe (40), a professional videographer, could be seen regularly tending to his camera as he captured cultural performers at the main arena — day in and day out.

This is not the first time for the father of two. Humtsoe, who is the proprietor of Watermarrk, a Dimapur-based film & photography company, has been documenting the Hornbill festival for four years as the Festival’s official photographer.

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“Attending Hornbill has become a duty. The festival, as I see, is almost the same every year. So this time, we are trying out something different by putting out short videos on social media platforms on a regular basis,” Humtsoe told EastMojo. He is assisted by another videographer named Tiku.

Watermarrk, he recalled, started off from Delhi where he was trained. Humtsoe returned to the state in 2016 to start the locally renowned studio in Dimapur, as he took up photoshoots for weddings and events. However, the studio closed down following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The photography profession, he describes, is seasonal in the state. “It has become difficult to survive because we are mostly dependent on someone else’s wedding to earn a living,” he explains. The “wedding season” generally begins from October and lasts till April.

As a full time media professional, Humtsoe said that he is driven to deliver quality content. Events like the Hornbill festival open up avenues for people in the profession, he shared. “Documenting the festival is just half of the work. The main work remains to be done after the festival when I work on the post production,” he said.

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Although things may seem almost the same for someone documenting the festival for years, Humtsoe said that getting to witness all tribes at one place which vibrates the feeling of oneness is gratifying. “It is sort of business-with-pleasure because I get to work and enjoy the festival at the same time. But unfortunately, this time not all tribes turned in for the festival,” Humtsoe added.

While he temporarily camps at Jakhama, a village near Kisama, Humtsoe is waiting to return home to his wife and children in Dimapur after the festival and also make a comeback with a bigger studio space for Watermarrk.  

Passing on the tradition

For 29-year-old Esther Kajiri, it is the first time as a participant at the Hornbill festival. Clad in Pochury Naga traditional attire, Kajiri was among other youths representing the tribe, as they performed folk dances, songs, and indigenous games. 

“I am still filled with excitement. This is a wonderful experience. I feel lucky to have this opportunity of representing my tribe at the Hornbill festival. We are a cultural troupe of young people comprising of unemployed youths and college going students,” she shared. 

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Although the cultural troupe had little time for practice before the festival, she said that the love and appreciation from spectators and visitors has ensured their good performance. 

“I grew up in the village so the songs, dances, and indigenous games, for me, is nothing new. Those of us who know of our practices are teaching it to the younger ones. We don’t want our tradition to die. What we’ve learned, we impart so that the legacy may continue,” Kajiri said. 

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The Pochury cultural troupe comprises of 26 women and 10 men. “This experience is overwhelming. Most of us are here for the first time so we are exploring the places and meeting new people daily. We spend our breaks taking photos and creating memories,” she added. 

Despite the chilly weather, Kajiri said that all odds are defeated as the moment is precious. She lighty added that getting photographed with and by foreign and domestic tourists, temporarily gives them a “celebrity” feeling. 

So far, a total of 1,01,344 visitors including 901 foreign and 34,825 domestic tourists, have set their foot at the Naga heritage village.

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