Ollo community of Nagaland celebrate Woraang
Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 28
The Ollo Naga community living in Nagaland celebrated Woraang festival with much fanfare in Dimapur on May 28. The celebration was organised at the Purana Bazaar ‘B’ local ground where CL John, Minister for Rural Development & Rural Employment, Poverty Alleviation was the chief guest. Yumsen Matey, president, India Sports Sangh, State of Arunachal Pradesh and also a former Parliamentary Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh was guest of honour.
The Ollos, like many other Naga tribes are divided by imaginary political boundaries between India and Myanmar. In India, they are native to Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh and in the Myanmar side of the international boundary bordering the Indian state. Woraang is one of the Ollos' most important annual festivals that celebrate the spirit of thanksgiving and takes place subsequent to the completion of cultivation during April and May.
CL John, in his address, called for upholding the spirit of Woraang which is a time for thanksgiving, building relations, forgiving and making amends. In consonance with the spirit of the festival, any Naga irrespective of the region or tribe should uphold the one Naga spirit and work for the common Naga interest. Stating “forgive and forget should not happen only in church,” he added it should be applied in all sphere of life.
According to him, ‘Nagamese’ could act as a great tool for fostering stronger communication among the various Naga tribes living in India and Myanmar and rather it should be recognised as a language. He further said that it is not appropriate to claim that only Nagas of Nagaland are Nagas.
Yumsem Matey termed festivals as an opportunity for the younger generation to relive the rich cultural heritage of the forefathers. Maintaining culture as “our uniqueness”, he asserted it should be respected and preserved. He further said that every Naga should support the peace process as “peace” is the weapon to development.
