DIMAPUR — A book on Konyak folktale titled 'Haolong,' written by Ngemnyu Konyak, was released by the minister of Forest, Environment and Climate Change and Village Guards, CL John, at The White Owl book lounge, Niathu Plaza, Chümoukedima, on Friday.
The book is the 88th publication of PenThrill Publication House.
The author of the book, Ngemnyu Konyak, shared that the book was written in memory of her late grandfather, who inspired her. She recalled that when she was a kid, she heard a lot of folktales but did not have much interest to record them in a book.
But after coming to know that there were no written records of folktales among the Konyak tribe, she decided to contribute and thus wrote the book containing the stories her grandfather told her. She is determined to continue writing more stories in the future.
Rita Krocha, while delivering the publisher's note, emphasised on the importance of folktales as they tell stories of ‘our origin, our history and culture and also describes where we live, what our values are and ultimately who we are.’
She appreciated the author of ‘Haolong’ for taking an important step in preserving the culture of her tribe. She also shared that in recent times, many initiatives have been undertaken to preserve Naga culture and that stories are an indispensable part of such initiatives.
Krocha went on to state that very often society tends to ‘brush aside our literature, whereas our stories form the very basis of our culture as it does in any culture.’ She urged the youth, especially young aspiring writers, to make conscious effort in collecting and documenting as many stories as possible wherever they go.
The special guest of the programme, CL John, appreciated the author for taking the initiative to publish such a book aimed at preserving the culture of the forefathers, which otherwise would be lost forever without any historical record.
He reminded that during the earlier days when there was no institution such as village councils and worship places like churches, the Konyaks considered the ‘Haolong’ as an important and vital institution in their respective villages and localities, where people gathered to worship, offer prayers to seek blessings as well as organise various types of gatherings and meetings.
However, John lamented to note the people, especially the younger generation, neglecting and forgetting their roots in the fast moving contemporary world. He appealed to the younger generations to retrospect on their ancestral and historical roots and be more pragmatic and productive in their respective fields.
Chibeni Merry, assistant professor at Testo College, who shared her views on the book, said that the book represents a miniature view of mythical creatures, beliefs and cultural practices of the Konyak tribe, leaving the readers yearning to learn more at the end of the book.
Rev. S Yoko, pastor of Konyak Baptist Church, Chümoukedima, offered the dedicatory prayer, while Rev. Pongsing Konyak, former general secretary of NBCC, pronounced the invocation.
A song was presented by Tinglei on the occasion.