Cradle of insurgency to eco-conservation centre

It takes about an hour’s bumpy ride to reach Khonoma, which  is about 20 km  from Kohima. The beautiful place is known for its efforts of eco-conservation. A village of 3,000 people, Khonoma perhaps not only speaks for itself but also embodies a history of how the Nagas fought the British to being the cradle of Naga insurgency, the oldest surviving rebellion in Asia,  to a story of how a village of ace hunters became the strongest advocates of  ban on hunting  in Nagalan

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Khonoma is the last village where the Naga warriors fought valiantly against the British forces and finally lost to them. Khonoma later became the cradle of Naga nationalism with A Z Phizo leading the Naga rebellion from this village. Many youths have given their lives for the cause  of Naga sovereignty.

But the modern day Khonoma is known for something very unusual to Naga society. It is one village in Nagaland that does not allow hunting and felling of trees and only organic farming is allowed. It has won laurels for being India’s first green village.

“Nagas are known as hunters thus hunting is part of our tradition. Every house in Khonoma had a hunting gun. Youth of Khonoma were ace shooters. We had plenty of wildlife and birds around. We had major hunting festivals. The kill was always huge,” remembers M M Sophi, who was an ace shooter.

Their skills were known across Nagaland and tales of their heroic exploits legendary. But the change came in the early 90s.

 Khonoma is the natural habitat of Blyth Tragopan, a very beautiful pheasant and also the official State Bird of Nagaland. With the hunters on a rampage its numbers were dwindling. One day the youth of Khonoma slaughtered 300 Blyth Tragopan, this got some of the villager elders thinking.

“We thought if wildlife around the village and birds get killed this way, if forests are rampantly cut for firewood then very soon this ecosystem would collapse. We had to be judicious so that our future generation was secure. We had to maintain the ecosystem. That made us to start a movement,” Tsilie Sakhrie told Deccan Herald.

In 1995, Sakhrie was elected to the Khonoma Village Council. He now had the power and he thought this is the time to bring about the change that was not at all easy to come. “It was like waging a war against our own customs and traditions and we  Nagas are very sentimental about our culture.  We kill and eat everything that could move on earth. Today, we don’t hunt, don’t cut trees and we earn from ecotourism. We practice age-old form of shifting cultivation of organic produce and we are trying to market our produce in Kohima and Dimapur to begin with, ” Sakhrie adds.

The village elders first approached youth from the village. The elders would meet the youth in morungs, a Naga village bachelors’ dormitory found in almost every village in Nagaland. Impressed by the suggestion, Sophi and others gave their nod. They also decided to convince others.

  In 1998, the Khonoma Village Council declared 20 sq km of forest area as Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS). The council went on to ban hunting not only in KNCTS but also in the entire village.

 In 2001, the Government of Nagaland notified the KNCTS as a wildlife reserve. This was half battle won. A strict fine of Rs 3,000 for hunting was imposed. The Khonoma Youth Organisation acts like a watchdog. There is a fine even for littering the village.

“Today, our village has several home stays. We get both domestic and foreign tourists. We have trained youth to be tour guides, the entire eco-tourism around Khonoma is looked after by the Khonoma Eco Tourism Committee. The conservation efforts have led to sustainable livelihood and everyone is a stake holder,” explains Khonoma Village Council  Chairman Khrielevo Savino.

Every year in September which also marks the beginning of the tourist season, the entire Khonoma society, including those who live elsewhere, gather to celebrate their historic decision to conserve nature. Khonoma has a lot more than eco-conservation. Wooden houses in traditional Naga style, monolith talking of rich Naga culture and the traditional food and fabric of Angami Nagas.

This clean-green village derived its name from a flowering plant Gaultheria fragrantissima―locally known as Khwunoria. The village is divided into three khels (hamlets), with each safeguarded by its own fort. Each khel has several Naga clans.

The Jhum cultivation (shifting cultivation) practised in Khonoma is little different from the rest of Nagaland. In Khonoma, the villagers grow Nepalese alder trees with the crops. The trees are very useful -- they improve the nitrogen levels in the soil quickly and prevent soil erosion and can also be used as firewood and light construction material, thus there is no felling of trees in the forest areas.

Some 15 years have passed since Khonoma was declared India’s first green village in 2001. The conservation effort is itself at crossroads at Khonoma.  “People from other villages do come to the wildlife reserve and hunt. Thus, it is imperative for us to take our mission beyond the bounds of Khonoma. Some of our youth have been instrumental in Amur falcon conservation in the Wokha district  but we need more support from the government to take the Khonoma model across the Northeast,” Sophi spells out the new dream.