“We are very excited to be part of this festival”, Chinglao, Head GB, and Hokon from Chenloisho, Mon District, remarked, sitting at the Konyak Morung at Kisama Heritage Village, Kohima. The two revered elders from the Konyak community have made it to the 25th edition of the Hornbill Festival, after travelling for almost 12 hours by road.

“We reached peacefully without facing any challenges,” both men, who are over 85 years of age, agreed.

Chinglao and Hokon hold special place in Konyak society not just because of their advanced years but also because of the knowledge and the stories of the past they carry.

Marked by their distinctive facial tattoos, a symbol of their warrior status, the elders explained, “The tattoos on our faces are engraved only once we have acquired the status of a warrior. To become a warrior in the past, you had to behead a member of an enemy tribe, and the necklace we wore, shaped like human skulls, symbolised the number of enemies we had conquered. Today, we wear it as part of our identity and attire.”

It is their first experience of the ‘Festival of Festivals’ and the men from Chenloisho expressed their deep admiration for the gathering of Konyak people at the festival. The vibrancy of their culture—evident through their attire, dances, and songs—was something they felt privileged to witness. “This sight of our people coming together excites us…. We will take the vibrancy of this festival back with us,” they said.

Reflecting on the challenges posed by modernization and the erosion of traditional practices, the elders advised the younger generations: “We want the younger generation to maintain peace with one another… We are able to participate in festivals like this because of the peace that came with embracing Christianity. Religion and peace go hand in hand. In the past, rivalries and headhunting were rampant, but now that we have embraced Christianity, peace has prevailed.”

Chinglao and Hokon emphasised that headhunting is now a thing of the past. “It has been totally prohibited, and we shall remain in peace with each other,” they concluded.