Limalenden Longkumer
Mokokchung | August 2
Lijaba God, the creator and sustainer of the world in Ao Naga folklore, must have worn a smile on his face today after quite a while as the folks of Mokokchung village celebrated Tsungremong with much pomp and gaiety. The pre-harvest festival of Tsungremong traditionally is celebrated for three days by the Ao Nagas with paramount sincerity, solemnity and sanctity, invoking Lijaba’s blessings for a bountiful harvest.
TN Manen IAS, Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner, Government of Nagaland, graced the festival organized by the Mokokchung Reongsanger Putu Menden as the chief guest. Mokokchung village is one of the most ancient among Ao Naga villages. The village fell to Christendom circa 1910 and the local Baptist Church will be celebrating its Centennial in 2010.
The chief guest while speaking during the occasion explained his interpretation of Tsungremong and asserted that culture is the reflection of the development and evolution of a people. Likewise, he challenged the leaders and the youths of the day to uphold and preserve one’s culture. He called upon the villagers to revive the traditional values, customs and practices by omitting those aspects of the culture that may not conform to Christianity and the day. He added that the Nagas cannot escape modernity and that the people ought to engage in inter-generational dialogue so as to cope with the identity crisis the Nagas are faced with today. He lamented that Naga identity will be lost in the wave of influence of western culture if their indigenous culture is not preserved and left it to the villagers to answer for themselves if they wanted their identity lost.
Further, Manen opined that Naga forefathers were upright and honest people, and challenged the people to uphold their legacy, regretting that the present day Nagas no longer seem to possess their ancestors’ traits. He advised the people to be hard working in order to be economically independent. In this regard, he said that the people should reconsider tilling their vast land by engaging in productive agriculture, and continued that Nagaland lacks, in his words, “diversified economic development.” He also reminded that education is essential for a people to progress. He also suggested inducting learned and educated men in the village councils. The chief guest also laid the foundation stone of a multi-purpose building in the village.
A host of Government officials and dignitaries who were also present were found overwhelmed by the Tsungremong fervor, including the Deputy Commissioner of Mokokchung Abhishek Singh, who also exhorted the people to preserve their culture and suggested that the youths and the students should find the means to preserve their indigenous culture. He also conveyed his greetings for a happy and prosperous Tsungremong.
Although a major part of Mokokchung Township falls under the ancestral land of the village, it still lacks tangible infrastructural development like roads, sanitation and water supply. If that is not enough, the villagers are posed with the question acculturation owing to its close proximity with the urban Mokokchung, which makes some like Dr. Ngangshi K Ao, Tatar of Mokokchung Reongsanger Putu Menden, wonder if this is a thread to their identity.
Tsungremong has a strong bearing on community building and is a festival where along with feasting; oral tradition and indigenous knowledge are passed down the generations, through songs, dances and interactions. This is true with Mokokchung as the whole village came together to celebrate the festival today. Folk songs and dances, plays, ethnic wear display and community feast marked the day, with men and women, young and old alike, donned with traditional gears. Locally popular cultural club, Aosungkum, also displayed Mizo “bamboo dance” and Punjabi “bangra,” which the club acquired during their various national cultural exposure trips.
