Saplings Over Guns: the Reformed Hunter
A community’s journey from being hunters to becoming ardent conservationists — the story behind Balipara Foundation award winner Sangti Wanmai Konyak’s efforts for community-led conservation
Traditionally a head-hunting community, Konyaks are known the world over. Although head-hunting stopped in 1990, the tribe still engaged in hunting birds and mammals. In Changlangshu, a remote village in Nagaland, a young man being handed his first gun by his father is much like a rite of passage. Understandably, villagers of Changlangshu were always reliant on natural resources for food and income. But as the community grew and there were more mouths to feed, this reliance led to major conservation problems.
The rampant hunting coupled with the negative impact of the commonly-practiced “jhum” cultivation eventually started affecting the local bio-diversity. Changlangshu started to seem like a lost cause but then in stepped Sangti Wanmai Konyak. A filmmaker, social worker, conservationist, he wasn’t about to give in without a fight. Along with a few like-minded people, he got to work to protect the forests and educate the community about the importance of conservation.
Changing lanes
It is interesting to note that Wanmai was himself a hunter at one point, and would hunt birds but his perspective on conservation changed entirely when he underwent the Green Hub Fellowship Programme. The programme helped him fall in love with nature and conservation. In order to revive the biodiversity in Changlangshu, he formed a Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) in 2018 with the help of the Sarpanch (the head of a village), S. Kehoang Konyak and the Nagaland Government. The conservation effort started with a two-kilometre square patch of forest, which was offered to the BMC by a village senior. The committee was committed to protect and conserve the forest patch, and they also wanted to restore and revive the surrounding forests as well. The idea was to eventually create a forest corridor that would be connected to larger forested areas in the adjoining hills.
Wanmai and his team banned hunting and jhum cultivation in the forest patch. Not only that, he also sat down for negotiations with the Nagaland government to ban hunting between April and September in the surrounding areas as well, which turned out to be a success. Even though the community had such a long and deep connection with hunting, they still came together to respect and uphold the rule. The support of the villager showcased that the community was willing to back Wanmai’s efforts. The BMC team, which started with only seven members, has grown to 26, including women.
Road ahead
One of the biggest plus points of the BMC is that they have always focussed on awareness and getting the community involved. To that effect, they even started a herbal garden, so that villagers can know more about medicinal plants and have access to the same. The plants grown in the garden are also eagerly sought after in neighbouring villages, and in Myanmar.
Wanmai also wants to involve the youth, but it is not always as easy it sounds. With most villages struggling to put food on the table, conservation is not the topmost thing on their minds, but he refuses to give up. Wanmai and his team still do whatever they can to impart knowledge and make his people aware that nature and man need to be able co-exist peacefully for a better and prosperous tomorrow.
A conservationist at heart, Wanmai also takes the time to help his community. He is also tirelessly working towards documenting the disappearing traditions of his tribe. In fact, he was involved in making ‘Shot Awake’ a documentary film on log drum pulling of Shajung Morung, Changlangshu village. Released under the initiative of Changlangshu Students’ Union, the 26-minute documentary was filmed and photographed by Sangti Wanmai and Angke Konyak; scripted and narrated by Anungla Zoe Longkumer. The film was produced by Moba Langfhoang of Changlangshu village in Mon district, Nagaland.
Wanmai’s efforts have not only been recognised by his community and the government of Nagaland, but he is also on the way to becoming a known name in the global conservation scene. He has uniquely showcased that when the might of the whole community comes together, nothing is impossible!
Sangti Wanmai Konyak was the recipient of the Eastern Himalayan Conservation Award at the 8th Balipara Foundation Awards 2020. Explore the other winners of this year’s awards.
This piece was written by Ruella Rahman Khound for the Balipara Foundation.
