KISAMA HERITAGE VILLAGE

Glance on Kisama heritage village;

Kisama is 12km from Kohima on the National Highway number 39. The gentle slope at the base of a steep mountain peak is the venue for the famed Hornbill Festival.The Heritage Villages is designed in the form of an ancient Naga village to give an authentic feel of a true Naga village and the experience of traveling back in time. After converting into Christians, Nagas have abandoned most of their tribal culture and traditions. It is only recently that they are trying to revive their past.The Hornbill festival was first initiated by the State Government. The festival has grown extremely in the span of a decade. Today the Hornbill Festival is one of the fastest growing festivals in India and attracts foreigners as well as Indians. It is now organized by the State Tourism and Art and Culture Departments every year from December 1 to December 7. The Heritage Village is designed in a traditional fashion to keep the Naga Village alive. Nagas lived in tribes and villages during their head hunting days and showed exceptional bonding values within one village or tribe. The Nagas lived in group and hunted in groups for the simple reason of survival. Some scholars have compared the administration of the Nagas to the autonomous Greek villages. Their only form of learning in an education deprived era (no written script, or proper form of education) was the Morung where they would come together and learn different kinds of skills, even head hunting. The Morung is like a modern coffee house, a place to discern and learn from one another. Each village has separate Morung’s for men and women.

How to reach Kisama Village:
Kisama is 12km from Kohima the capital of Nagaland. The Heritage Village was built only for the purpose of the festival and nothing else. The village got its name from the two villages Kigwema (Ki) and Phesama (Sa), where the village is now established. The suffix ‘Ma’ means village. Kisama functions only during the first week of December. Shared taxis travel all the way from Kohima to Kisama for Rs.50. You will have to pay an entry fee Rs.10 to enter the Hornbill Festival. 


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