Nagaland Author Realizes Childhood Dream at Royal Tyrrell Museum

Kohima: Mishanli Easteryna Yanthan finally walked through the doors of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology on August 1. The 14 year old from Dimapur, Nagaland, spent eight years chasing this goal. She is a Grade 9 student at Hope Academy and stands among the state's youngest published authors. Her inspiration began in 2018 at age six after a chance meeting with Canadian traveler Julian Erb sparked a deep interest in dinosaurs.

To pay for the trip, she wrote and sold two books. She released The Unforgettable Trip to Drumheller and Other Stories in 2020 and The Prehistoric Adventure in 2022. The Nagaland Education Mission Society eventually bought these books for government school libraries through Samagra Shiksha. This sale provided the funds she needed to make the trek to Drumheller, Alberta.

Hosts Peter and Areni Ritchie helped finalize the logistics for Mishanli and her father. The museum provided complimentary passes once they heard her story. Julian Erb and his son attended the visit to see the project he inspired years ago reach its finish line. Mishanli is the daughter of Yanchenthung Yanthan and Dr. Wojanbeni S. Yanthan of Lakhuti village. Reflecting on the long road to the museum, she said, “It was the fulfilment of a dream I first imagined at six.”