Meyabi Niphi
Duliajan, Assam
Naga millennials today believe that the hornbill is a mythological bird because they have never seen one in Nagaland. They wonder how the black and white feathered bird got embedded into their traditional attire and more so, how the beak and feathers became an integral part of the Naga culture. Going by folklore, the bird must have existed in abundance those days.
But for obvious reasons, the poor legendary bird (alongwith other species) disappeared locally many years ago. The rest that must have survived will be the lucky ones that escaped (not migrated) into the forests of our next door neighbour. Now all that remains of the poor bird (in Nagaland) is the fables and stories narrated around it.
Just last month, a tourist captured a breath-taking picture of this majestic bird on his device while crossing the Kaziranga forest stretch in Assam (picture as shared on Whatsapp). How majestic! Seeing it, I could easily relate our Naga head gear and the bird (specially the one worn by Angamis).
How heartening and encouraging it is to see them dwell and fly around the forest reserves of Kaziranga and Dihing Forest in Assam. The notion that the hornbill is a bird of the past does not hold true because they live just beyond our borders. They have not become extinct yet. So, how can we assume that they have gone away forever? Ca’nt they ever come back and live in our forest lands? I wonder.
Anyone passing through the Kaziranga forest stretch of the National Highway in Assam will not miss the sight of the rich wildlife. More so if you camp inside, you will see not only the hornbills but also deers, rhinos, wild boars, tigers etc which is a treat to the eyes. Yet the moment one enters Nagaland, you suddenly wonder where every living creature has gone? It is not only unfortunate but sad that almost all wild life in our land is disappearing. Not even the house sparrows are spared these days!! Thanks to the evolving taste buds that is getting tuned to changing times.
When the Hornbill festival arrives in December, we will paint, carve and print pictures of the bird everywhere. Our attires, head gears will be decked up with feathers of the majestic bird together with the tooth of wild boar. We take pride in exhibiting & explaining to tourists as if the hornbill is a myth bird (all in past tense). Yet, the Tourist is not to be fooled because the so called mythical bird just flew over them before entering Nagaland. By now, he very well knows that the hornbill (including other species) has only gone ‘Locally extinct’... not beyond.
It pains one’s heart to think of celebrating this great International Festival without a single living hornbill within the vicinity. What message do we convey to others visiting our land? We create a façade around us that everything is OK and we are in tune with Mother Nature. Why can’t we think of actually celebrating Hornbill festival with real hornbills flying in our forest land when tourists visit our Country side and villages? It may not go very well if we only have age old feathers plucked into our traditional dresses alone.
More shocking is that alongwith the disappearance of hornbill, our forest lands and wild life is almost going extinct now. The rivers are running dry with hardly any fishes in them. All in the name of development. Will we ever realise that we cannot sustain livelihood by simply cutting down trees to manage our life & family? How can we sell land that belongs to nature? As Gandhi said, “…Nature has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everybody's greed”. We cannot destroy the forest, pluck away flowers and kill wildlife just the way we wish and want.
By the way, the popular Angami anthem ‘We volu kiju rienu’ may soon become irrelevant because the lyrics do not match with what we see around. Where are the deep dense forests, the flora and fauna that adorn the beautiful mountains and valleys gone? The song expresses the beauty of Nature that surrounds URRA. Someone will have to rewrite the lyrics in line with what reality is. An anthem cannot be something of the past. It has to be relevant in the present and for future generations to come too.
Therefore, my point here is to elucidate a personally coined concept ‘Reverse Sustainability’ which means we begin by first making an effort to bring back our fabled birds alive....back into our very own forest. What if we begin rearing hornbills in our forests? Since our omnivorous friend is a bird that survives on forest fruits, insects and small animals, we will have to first preserve our forests by securing them from the clutches of deforestation and hunting? We cannot cage them in a zoo and feed them bottled mineral water nor packaged cold meat. They require a conducive environment with availability of natural forest vegetation in abundance.
Our Naga way of living is very closely connected to Nature. Our farming habits, our indigenous knowledge related to biodiversity are all sustainable concepts. I personally feel we donot need an expert to come and teach us concepts on sustainability, ecological balance and environment protection etc. These are age old concepts which our forefathers had been practising down the years. The only tragedy is that with modern technology and the internet coming in, suddenly the very roots and foundation of our society is exposed to the risk of losing our tradition and culture too. Our God gifted land is getting exploited and destroyed for personal gains and greed.
Therefore, in conclusion, we need to do hard thinking to sustain our natural habitats. We need to promote community-led conservation methods (as in earlier days) so that everyone is inspired to bring back the extinct bird (along with the Tragopan and other endangered species) to life in Nagaland. We must understand and recognise that the future of wildlife is inextricably linked to our society and culture. The Hornbill Festival will only become more realistic and significant if we can relate the festival to the wild forests and its rich natural resources. It is high time we pitch in to re-allocate and repopulate the hornbill birds.
Seriously, it does not make much sense celebrating Hornbill festival within the confines of an artificially created boundary trying to recreate the Naga way of life, showcasing our tradition and culture in a condensed format when there is no sign of any living bird or animal around. The Hornbill should not be perceived as just another mascot or static symbol alone. Tourists and well wishers will relate better to our culture and festivals if they actually see hornbills and all animal species living in co-existence. This to me is ‘reverse sustainable growth’ ... to let the Hornbill survive, our God gifted forest lands and rivers are secured, conserved and protected too. This to me will be the real Hornbill festival where the character of the bird is exhibited in black and white!
Long Live the Hornbill!
