The state of Nagaland over the years successfully marketed itself as the ‘Land of Festivals.’ To harness the rich cultural heritage and intending to promote tourism, the state also started the Hornbill Festival in 2000, held annually from December 1 coinciding with the Statehood Day.
Nagas society is a cultural mosaic with each tribes having a distinctive way of life and polity. Festivals are intimate parts of their lives and each community celebrates them in their unique way.
However, amid the splendour and diversity, two distinct features are feasible in any festivals or cultural presentations – war dance and events related to agrarian activities.
The former, practically has lost its relevance today, and mainly caters to the academic interest and preserving the past legacy. The latter, however, is intimately and predominantly connected with Nagas’ way of life. Ergo, agriculture is the common factor that binds together the myriad festivals celebrated all round the year.
Traditionally, most festivals were celebrated in the form of propitiation and thanksgiving, depending on the seasons or cycles of farm activities. The two most prominent periods were - pre or post sowing and pre and post-harvest seasons.
As various states’s economic survey suggest, Nagaland is an agrarian economy with about 60% of its population engaged in Agriculture and Allied activities.
Invariably, agriculture is still the mainstay of people and the most common form of farming activity is Jhum cultivation - a sustainable traditional system of mixed cropping that helps in generating livelihoods as well as subsistence to erstwhile isolated villages in the past. Topography also dictates such cultivation.
It is the largest employer and although the workforce has significantly declined from 96.5% during the 1950s to 60% by 2013, it continues to form an indispensable source of livelihood for the people. The sector’s contribution to the State’s GDP, though declining in recent years, also remains one of the largest contributors with 27.47% during 2018-19, as per the advanced estimate by the State Economic Survey 2018-19.
While the decline is symptomatic of the economy shifting from agriculture towards other sectors, and often considered a natural path of development, it also shows how the farming communities are facing challenges over the years having a severe impact on motivation as well as the propensity to involve in the sector.
A report on the “Round Table on Sustainable Management of Jhum in North East India” in November, 2017 in Dimapur noted that Jhum in recent years has come under stress owing to factors such as impact of climate change, increased pressure on land, altered land use patterns and a growing disengagement of youth.
The Government of Nagaland (GoN) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s organised event was held to discuss “the importance and relevance of Jhum cultivation in North East India in the present and future, retaining its traditional value and yet modernizing it in ways that could make it economically attractive for the farming community.”
Among others, it noted that the economic condition of Jhum farmers is deteriorating and called for immediate remedial steps. Devoid of such measures, it will not only threaten the region’s rich biodiversity but livelihood opportunities, hurtling a large part of the population, it concluded. Whether such conclusions were remedied with relevant policy measures, is unknown.
Consequently, it is imperative that the government adopted measures to revive farming activities in a holistic way to preserve traditional ways while mitigating environmental impacts.
The GoN has ‘diversified’ the Hornbill into mini-festivals spread across the state all year round. Apart from merry-making, such festivals could be used as an opportune moment and platform to discuss agrarian challenges and search for corrective measures as well as honouring progressive and traditional farmers, crops producers and other involve in agrarian activities. For the festivals are nothing, but tributes to their activities.
