The 23rd edition of the 10-day Hornbill Festival got underway at the Naga Heritage Village in Kisama near Kohima on Thursday with Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio betting big on the event, asserting the festival was a “symbol of Brand Nagaland and the emerging Naga Soft Power”.

The festival celebrates and showcases the best of Naga culture, cuisines, music, and handicraft to the world, among others, and is a much-awaited calendar event for tourists within and outside the Northeast.

Rio said during the inauguration of the “festival of festivals” by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who also released a postage stamp to commemorate the festival, that the Hornbill Festival exemplifies the Naga way of life, celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the Naga people along with the rest of the northeastern states.

The festival is aimed at “protecting, preserving and promoting” the culture and heritage of the Nagas, while “creating” opportunities for economic growth and employment generation.

Rio added: “Hornbill festival is a symbol of Brand Nagaland and the emerging Naga Soft Power. The cultural ambassadors representing the tribes of Nagaland and from the different states of the Northeast and even the mainland are the heart and soul of the Hornbill Festival.”

At the Statehood Day celebration before the inauguration of the fest, Rio had said: “With each passing year, the festival is becoming more vibrant, and larger, showcasing newer ideas and gaining greater recognition. This is an asset owned by all the tribes of Nagaland, and a success story we should continue to make it bigger, better, and more valuable.”

The festival got underway on a smooth note but without the participation of seven of the 18 major tribes of the state — Chang, Konyak, Phom, Khiamniungan, Sangtam, Tikhir and Yimkhiung — from eastern Nagaland due to “hardships” faced by their cultural troupes during past editions, sources said. None of their cultural items or cuisines were on “display” at the venue.

The seven tribes under the banner of the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) are also seeking a separate Frontier Nagaland state covering six of the 16 districts. The ENPO representatives will be meeting Union home minister on December 3 over the issue.

However, the proceedings progressed as scheduled.

Rio said the people of Nagaland aspire for genuine peace and are hopeful that with the successful conclusion of the peace process and welcomed and extended his appreciation to all the tourists for visiting the state and hoped “they will be ambassadors of Nagaland”.

The last edition of the festival was cut short by the Oting firing incident that led to the death of 14 civilians in the Mon district.

Praising the Nagas’ unique culture and glorious history, Dhankhar said the world will be able to experience Naga hospitality when a meeting of G20 will be held in the state in April next year.

Dhankhar said: “I salute tribal culture. I salute tribal energy. The state has great tourism potential which needs to be tapped fully. The Nagas being very hospitable, loving and affectionate to its guests and outsiders could boost the tourism industry in a big way.”