Our Correspondent
Kisama | April 1
The Konyak community of the state capital Kohima under the banner of Konyak Union Kohima (KUK) today celebrated its premier festival Aoleang Monyu at the Naga Heritage Village Kisama with much pomp and traditional gaiety.
Gracing the festival as the chief guest, Minister for Public Health Engineering Chotisuh Sazo said that Konyak are a unique group of people and they are progressing a lot and catching up fast with the world today.
People participate in the Konyak Aoleang Monyu celebration at Kisama on April 1. It was organized by Konyak Union Kohima and hosted by Minister for Rural Development & REPA C.L. John.
He said Konyak may be less representation in government services and economically and educationally yet to catch up with others but it does not mean that “We are backward physically, mentally or intellectually.” Stating that they still require reservation quota in the field of government services, Sazo, however said “But we cannot remain to depend on reservation quota all the time.” In this, he urged the young generation to be brave and try to compete with the world.
Minister for Rural Development and REPA C.L John, the host of Aoleang, also shared greetings. Also gracing the occasion as the guest of honour, Additional Chief Secretary & Development Commissioner R.B. Thong said that Konyak is the biggest tribe in Nagaland in population wise.
Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) Chairman A. Yanang Konyak said that Aoleang Monyu is the greatest of all the festivals that Konyak Naga observes. “Celebration of Aoleang is to bid a farewell to the hostile and hard life of winter, the cold season, and welcome the cheerful and bright life of spring, the warm season,” said Yanang.
The festival is also cerebrated to invoke divine blessing upon men and their crops so that there would be healthy lives and a prosperous new year.
The festival is marked by feast, cultural dance, games and sports and other ritual ceremonies. In its celebration the friends, in-laws, relatives and the loved ones are cordially invited to join the family feast. Community feast is also arranged where other Morung and clan members enjoy together in merry making with the host Morung in common. The festival is also celebrated to remind the people of its own rich cultures, customs, traditions and other related practices so that the upcoming generations may keep on learning them in the context of modern civilization.
It is during these celebration young boys and girls of the community have to come together to the closer knowledge of knowing one another better. It is also an opportunity for match-making among themselves for their own future.
During this occasion, ceremony of marking tattoos on the body such as leg, abdomen, chest, face etc are done.
Earlier, KUK president T. Ngamjok Konyak said the population of Konyak in Kohima stands around 2000 at present.
The festival was marked by cultural presentation from Chen, Tobu, KNSK, Wakching and Mon cultural troupes.
Parliamentary Secretary For Higher & Technical Education Deo Nukhu was also present on the occasion. The festival concluded with a grand community feast.
