Idyllic Khonoma: Sustainable Village Life

Khonoma is a model for sustainable interdependence with nature. Life here is directly dependent on natural resources, and the village has instituted several checks and balances to ensure conservation and renewal.

The fierce Angami warriors of Khonoma made a name for themselves in the history of the resistance to colonial rule in the 19th century.

Village life is closely linked with nature.

Agriculture is organic and people mostly practise terrace farming with rice being the main crop cultivated in the village.

The trees are not cut, but pollarded, yielding wood for fuel and light construction.

They additionally perform the task of nitrogen fixing. After the fallow period the plots are cultivated again.

Each family also has shifting cultivation or jhum plots at the edge of the forest.

Here, a variety of crops is grown (potato, soya bean, garlic, ginger, chillies and a host of vegetables) along with Alder trees.

The jhum plots are cultivated for 2-3 consecutive years, and then left fallow for 3-4 years to regenerate naturally.

Wood is the primary fuel used in homes. It is common to see stock piles of wood in the village.

A fixed amount of wood is permitted to each family for its annual needs, and no felling or commercial logging is allowed beyond this.

The village has utilised financial support from the government to improve streets and community facilities.

Khonoma is a model for sustainable interdependence with nature.

Hunting has traditionally been very much a part of the Naga way of life. It was a radical step for the Village Council to ban hunting.

Homes and community houses are still decorated with trophies, considered symbols of valour and skill.

Once constructed of mud and bamboo, village homes are now mostly made of brick and concrete, with tin roofs.

However, local natural materials like bamboo continue to be used for various purposes.

Agricultural implements and various things around the homestead are fashioned by people themselves using traditional technology.

Large vessels and utensils used for cooking community feasts.

The Morung was another integral pillar of Naga life. Traditionally a kind of bachelors’ dormitory for the initiation and training of Naga warriors, the Morung is still active in a modified form today.

Skilled artisans make their fine baskets sitting at home. Living and working spaces are not demarcated, and there is always the rhythm of family life around the craftsman.

Tools made with traditional technology are used to cut bamboo.

The Angami are known for their superlative basketry skills. Local cane and bamboo gathered from the forest and around the fields are the raw materials used.

Various aspects of village life involve people working together.

Both the elderly and the very young go about their business…

Men and women, the young and the old, all have their functions and roles...

…with a genuine bond of belonging and affection.

From young children to the old, everyone has a place in the village, and there is a feeling of belonging.

Even those who have departed are cherished and kept close. Although there is a separate burial ground, many families elect to have graves of their loved ones within the homestead.

Read more about the basketry traditions of Nagaland's Angami tribe here:

- The exquisite basketry of the Angami Nagas
- The makers of the Angami Basket