Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival

January 19, 2024

The 9th edition of the Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival (PPHF) commenced in the town of Seijosa in Arunachal Pradesh’s Pakke Kessang district recently.
This year’s theme, Domutoh Domutoh, Paga hum Domutoh, translates to ‘Let Our Hornbills Remain’ in Nyishi, emphasising the critical need to preserve the iconic birds.
Seijosa is located near the Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR), which is home to four species of hornbills: Wreathed, Great Indian, Oriental Pied and the endangered Rufous-necked.
The area is the traditional homeland of the Nyishi people, the largest tribal group in Arunachal Pradesh.
The first-ever PPHF was held on January 16-18, 2015.
PPHF was declared a ‘state festival’ by then-Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu in 2019.
The aim was to recognise the role played by the Nyishi in conserving hornbills in PTR.
- The Nyishi had formerly hunted hornbills and used their bills to craft traditional headgear.
- They had later turned hornbill conservationists.