Kohima: Writer Abokali Jimomi launched the second edition of Gift in the Pot: Earth Poetry at Tia Ki Nagaland Art Space in Dimapur on Saturday. The collection, penned by Professor Jungmayangla Longkumer, celebrates the generations of women pot-makers from the Changki, Longjemdang, and Japu villages of Mokokchung district. Published by Kohima-based 6th Finger Publishers, the book retails for Rs 300.
The release arrives 12 years after the original edition. It honors grandmothers, mothers, and daughters who defied the old taboos of the Ao people to keep the craft alive. Longkumer, a professor at the School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University, noted the manual intensity of the work. She wrote, "From the digging, collection and transportation of the earth to the making of the pot, every step of the process is performed by women."
The book includes photographs captured by the author's husband, Temjenmenba. During the event, Jimomi praised the work for highlighting the often invisible labor of women who served as farmers, weavers, and artisans. Dr. Inakali Assumi reviewed the text, framing the book as an inheritance that bypasses traditional land-based wealth. Longkumer dedicated the project to her late mother, the writer Temsula Ao.
The author expressed concern about the fading art form. Still, she remains hopeful. The poems serve as a record of those who shaped the earth to nourish others. Through these pages, the history of these villages stays vibrant.
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