In 2001, 76-year-old a skilled hunter of Nagaland, Chaiyievi Zhiinyii gave up hunting.
The source of livelihood for the Khonoma tribe of Nagaland was hunting till 20 years back. In 2001, they decided to create a stable ecosystem for the future generations.
Before 2001, many people of the tribe, living in a remote hilly village spent maximum time in hunting. The reason behind hunting for them was the age-old tradition and their way of life.
However, from 1993, some of the tribesmen initiated a campaign in order to discontinue hunting. The region has been home to some hundreds of birds, however, they were killed for their meat.
According to the campaign, the village council decided to bar about 20 sq km of the entire area, where hunting was prohibited.
As per a local tradition, the members of the tribe were asked to keep the heads of the hunted animals inside their houses.
Besides hunting, another popular activity of the tribe is folk music which is practised by the members and performed in front of the village council and in other celebrations.
The Khonoma village exhibits a wide range of plant species, that include medicines and wild vegetables.