Kohima: Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton called for the urgent preservation of Naga language and culture during the Tokhu Emong Festival in Dimapur. The Dimapur Lotha Hoho hosted the event on November 7 at the Multi-Disciplinary Sports Complex. Guests of honor included Advisor for Tribal Affairs and Election Tovihoto Ayemi and Advisor for Labour, Employment, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Excise Moatoshi Longkumer.
Patton emphasized the home as the primary place for cultural education. He warned that many local youth struggle with their native tongue. "Many people in Dimapur, particularly among the younger generation, are unable to speak their mother tongue. Parents must take responsibility for teaching their children the language at home," Patton said. He urged residents to treat cultural identity as a daily practice rather than a once-a-year event. He also recommended collective celebrations every few years.
The festival focused on reconciliation and unity. Patton advised the community to put past grievances aside. He told students to seek real goals instead of chasing paper degrees. He also noted that development efforts under Article 371 still face significant roadblocks.
Ayemi warned that modernization threatens to wash away local dialects, which are losing ground to Nagamese and English. He pushed for a balance between tribal roots and broader Naga unity. "Our specific tribes are branches of the exact same tree. If the trunk of the Naga identity decays due to division, all our branches will fall with it," Ayemi noted. He also asked families to reconsider customs that block women from decision-making roles.
Longkumer praised the entrepreneurial drive of the Lotha youth. He linked the festival to the physical output of hard work and community sacrifice. He stated that the government must build economic pathways for that labor to yield progress.
The leaders also tackled the fragmented state of Naga political groups. Patton claimed the Government of India will not hand out separate solutions to the roughly 36 or 37 existing factions. He denounced the rising tide of illegal taxation and extortion rackets operating under the guise of donations in Dimapur, Chümoukedima, and Niuland.
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