Annual Hutton Lectures held in Kohima

[caption id="attachment_221576" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Dr. Roland Platz, Curator for South and Southeast Asia Ethnological Museum Berlin, delivering the
keynote address at the Hutton Lectures 2018 in Kohima on December 3.[/caption] Kohima, Dec. 4 (EMN): The 6th annual Hutton Lectures was held on December 3 at the Valhalla conference hall of the Kohima Institute. Scheduled in conjunction with the annual Hornbill Festival, Hutton Lectures provides a space for reflecting on the year’s advances in research and teaching, an invitation for critical assessment and summons towards greater collaboration among civil society, non-governmental and government institutions. Hutton Lectures is a year-end lecture and symposium organised by the Kohima Institute and financially supported by the Institute’s Board of Trustees and collaborating institutions. The main purpose of the lectures is to take stock of current sociological research in the eastern Himalayan region with special reference to Northeast India. The event brought together local, national and international scholars to discuss original research in a seminar setting and assists postgraduates seeking to present and participate in discussions. In his welcome note, Dr. Kekhrie Yhome, president of the Kohima Institute, expressed hope that the research in the region would create positive image and also contribute towards nation building while stating that the region has not been fully understood. He hoped that the Lectures would further broaden the scope of connecting South Asia with South East Asia. Major General Pradeep Nair, Inspector General of the Assam Rifles, was the chief guest, while Hutton Lecturer, Dr. Roland Platz, Curator for South and Southeast Asia Ethnological Museum, Berlin, delivered the keynote address. He dwelled on “The meaning of collaboration: policies of the Ethnological Museum Berlin,” “Tradition and identity: a Naga exhibition,” and “Database project of the Ethnological Museum Berlin.” Elisabeth Seyerl, Humboldt Forum, Berlin, gave a presentation on “We are still here: a collaborative exhibition project with the Omaha community.” Tiachenla Imchen from Kohima Institute presented a paper on “Documenting the log drum oral tradition of the Ao Naga,” while Amenla Imsong, Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune, gave a presentation on “Loom technology of the Ao Naga: an ethnographic study.” Other presentations included “Assam relief measures: post WW II reconstruction and the twilight of the British empire in Northeast India” by Deepak Naorem, University of Delhi and “Fighting for empire: recruiting the hill men for war during World War II” by Limasenla Jamir, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Concluding remarks and vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Michael Heneise, Director of Kohima Institute.