Q1.
Nagaland is a land of festivals. Hornbill is one of the festivals to promote the culture of the state. Find out more about it.
Answer
Your book gives you only the name. The rest you must find out yourself — that is what this box is for.
Where to look:
- Your school library — an atlas or a book about the states of India.
- Your Social Science or The World Around Us textbook, in the part about the North-East.
- Ask a teacher or an elder at home.
- Look at photographs of Naga dresses, dances and houses.
What to find out — write one line on each:
- Why the festival is named after the hornbill.
- When it is held, and where.
- Who takes part in it.
- What people do there — dances, songs, food, games, crafts.
- Why the state government started it.
Sample answer (check the details in your library book): The Hornbill festival is held every year in Nagaland in the month of December. It takes place at the Naga Heritage Village at Kisama, near the capital city Kohima. It is named after the hornbill, a large bird with a big curved beak. The hornbill is loved in Naga folk songs and stories, and its feathers are used in the traditional headgear. All the tribes of Nagaland come together at the festival. They perform their own dances and songs, wear their own dresses, cook their own food and show their crafts. Traditional games and wrestling are also held. The festival is often called the “Festival of Festivals” because so many festivals come together in one place.
Why the state holds it: Nagaland has many tribes, and each one has its own dress, dance and language. At the Hornbill festival they all meet on one ground. Visitors from other states see this culture, and the young people of Nagaland learn it from their elders. That is what the book means by “to promote the culture of the state”.
Link with this chapter: Hekko too is a part of Naga culture. A traditional game and a traditional festival do the same job — they carry the old ways of a people to the next generation.
Tip: Always write down where you found each fact. Then you can check it again later, and your teacher can see that you really explored.