Our Correspondent
Waromung | February 26
During the days of our forefathers when head hunting was rampant and villages attacked each other and conflict between tribes was a normal happening, two villages in the Ao area made a friendship pact that if one village should be defeated in a war, then the vanquished can always re-establish their village in the other village. These two villages reserved a hill in both the respective villages just in case that eventuality ever happened. That was a long time ago, and times have changed. But the present generation led by the Village Council of the two villages – Waromung and Mongsenyimti – decided to recognize the age-old friendship by erecting monoliths in the allocated hills by the forefathers.
While the friendship monolith at “Aodangba Asukong” Mongsenyimti was inaugurated by a Waromung citizen on January 13, 2012; a similar friendship monolith at Natosu Tenem at Waromung was unveiled by a Mongsenyimti citizen, A. Chuba Ozukum (Administrative Officer, Justice & Law Department) here today in the presence of village council members, elders, church leaders from both the villages and also some dignitaries who accompanied the chief guest to the programme.
It is recorded that the forefathers from Mongsenyimti village allocated the Aodangba Asukong, while the Waromung allocated the Natosu Tenem for each other in case they were defeated in a war. While rich tribute was paid to the forefathers for their farsightedness and the spirit of amiability, the spirit of age-old friendship between the two villages rose up to the occasion for the need of peace and harmony in the society.
The chief guest, A. Chuba Ozukum, Administrative Officer Justice & Law Department, while speaking at the programme, paid rich tributes to the forefathers of the two villages for this unique act of moulding friendship through allocation of land in their respective villages. He also highly praised the Village Councils of Waromung and Mongsenyimti for strengthening the friendship between the two villages and asserted this good work of unveiling monoliths in the two villages would go a long way in fostering friendship in the society. He asked the gathered village leaders to tell the story to their children and let their children narrate it to their grandchildren.
While challenging the younger generation to take up the footsteps of our forefather, Chuba Ozukum maintained that just like our farsighted forefathers, the younger generations should also take up good works left behind by our forefathers and live in peace and harmony in the society. He also suggested the two village councils to publish a book each on the friendship and exchange it so that the younger generation can read it even in the future.
About three hundred people, mostly village elders, leaders and citizens of both Mongsenyimti and Waromung and also some guests attended today’s unveiling of the monolith at Waromung. The Village Council members of Mongsenyimti and also the VC members of Waromung presented traditional songs at the programme. The VC Chairman of Waromung, I Temen exhorted the audience while the ex-VC Chairman of Mongsenyimti, I Yanger Ozukum also spoke at the programme.
