Amid the vibrant celebrations of Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival, a video circulating on social media has triggered widespread concern over cultural misrepresentation. The video, reportedly from 2018, shows children in a school in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, performing a presentation about the northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. Mokokchung Times has not yet verified the origin or date of the footage.
In the video, one child begins, “Okay, I will take you to Nagaland, the seven sisters.” Another asks, “Is it a tribal state?” The first child responds, “Yah, it is blessed with high mountains, blessed valley and rich flora and fauna.”
The performance continues with the line, “We call it the Land of Festivals. What is the reason behind this?” Another student explains, “Nagaland being inhabited by as many as 16 tribes, it is a land of festivals. Several festivals are connected with agricultural activities such as reaping, sowing and harvesting. People worship the deities, sacrifice animals and sing, dance and make merry during the Moatsü festival, which falls in the month of May.”
The presentation then shifts into, “Kinika ase? Apne bal ase? Bal-e-ase. Nagaland dancers are ready to rock the state.” At this point, a group of children begins a dance accompanied by what observers describe as “African voodoo sounds” and “weird howling,” performing movements that bear no relation to Nagaland’s folk music and dance traditions.
Social media users from Nagaland were quick to respond. “Their teachers failed to guide them properly. Everything about this performance needs review and correction,” wrote one commenter. “Though it is good that they are showing interest in Nagaland, they should have studied more about the Nagas and the state.”
The performance, which appears to mix generic “tribal” imagery and music, drew strong criticism from social media users who said it reinforced long-standing stereotypes about Northeast India.
Several others questioned how students were taught to represent the state. “Do they think we Northeasterners live in jungles…? Forget the dance, our music ain’t like that either,” wrote one commenter.
Another added, “The whole Nagaland is traumatized after watching this.”
Netizens highlighted that such portrayals continue to exoticize Northeast identities in mainstream India. “Growing attention of Nagaland in mainland India continues to be marred by exoticization. It is clearly seen in this video that, in efforts to represent Nagaland, the lack of knowledge and authenticity is miscommunicated,” one comment read.
The discussion quickly expanded to include the ongoing Hornbill Festival, which annually draws thousands of visitors from across India and abroad. Some expressed discomfort over how cultural displays are often treated as tourist spectacles rather than authentic expressions of Naga culture. “Sometimes I feel like Hornbill Festival is kind of a human zoo,” one viewer wrote, alluding to the “exoticization” by people photographing individuals as attractions rather than focusing on the festival’s purpose.
While the Nellore classroom performance appears to have been intended as a cultural showcase, many argue that inaccurate depictions risk reinforcing harmful stereotypes and erasing the diversity of Naga cultures. Social media reactions reflect broader conversations about representation, cultural sensitivity, and the responsibility of schools, media, and tourists in portraying Northeast India accurately.
As Nagaland celebrates its Hornbill Festival, a vibrant display of indigenous music, dance, and heritage, the episode serves as a reminder of the need for careful, informed engagement with culture and the consequences when misrepresentation travels far beyond the classroom.