They Talk to Bees Before Taking Honey — How a Nagaland Tribe Keeps an Ancient Balance With Nature

“We have come here today. Please make space for us by shifting somewhere else. We have been doing this always. May you and your kids be good to us.”

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The honey hunters of the Khiamniungan tribe whisper this to the honey bees that dot the landscape of their village, Choklangan, in Noklak district, Nagaland. 

This goodwill is important. “I was told that there was an instance when the hunters went fully equipped but did not speak politely to the bees, and they failed to collect any honey,” shares Thangsoi M Khiamniugan, a member of the Khiamniungan tribe whose documentaryHoney Hunters of My Village explores the co-existence of the tribe and the cliff bees — a species of bees adapted to the high-altitude environments of the Himalayas, with colonies positioned along the cliffs. 

This harmony between the wild and his people is what Thangsoi wanted to spotlight. He is a GreenHub Fellow. The initiative, started by wildlife filmmaker Rita Banerji, offers a one-year residential fellowship for youth across Northeast India to learn about the environment, wildlife, conservation, and climate sustainability.

Honey is central to their livelihood. Until the 1990s, the Choklangan village, cut off from the rest of the country, sustained itself through agriculture and barter trade with Myanmar. In exchange for honey and wax, they would receive salt and medicines from Myanmar. 

The honey collection process is extensive, but fast-fading, as Thangsoi’s documentary reveals. And it’s important to protect it. 

Sensitive to the bees’ sentiments, the Khiamniungan tribe appoints the most kindhearted person to lead the way to the cliff; one who will choose the path and mode that won’t violate the privacy of the queen bee. The men then start a fire in the hope that the smoke will encourage the queen bee to fly to another cliff. The athing ken(a stick with a sharp edge) is deployed to collect the honey and larvae. 

The honey is collected in two harvests; the first happens in April and May, the second — which takes place in the lower parts of the forest — happens in October. Removing the hives completely is crucial. As the tribe explains, if they don’t, the next season would mean an incomplete harvest. 

Watch how the honey hunters of Nagaland have developed a way of sustaining their livelihoods while having compassion for their wild: 

This story is part of a content series by The Better India and GreenHub.

All pictures courtesy GreenHub

Sources 

'The Khiamniungans in Nagaland speak kindly to the honey bees': by Thangsoi M Khiamniungan, Published in India Development Review.