Imphal, February 12, 2010: The Naga seed sowing festival, the Lui-Ngai-Ni will also be celebrated at Dimapur in Nagaland with pomp and show where Nagaland home minister Imkong L Imchen will grace the occasion.

Meanwhile, the Lui-Ngai-Ni celebration committee has said that during the recently conducted pre-Lui-Ngai-Ni regional consultations held in the various hill districts of Manipur the various Naga tribes have confirmed for their participation in all the events scheduled during the festival at Senapati.

Apei Hinga, chief of Maram will be gracing the occasion as the 'chief celebrant' and inaugurate the festival and elders from the tribes will perform the 'Solemn Blessing Ceremony' on seeds for pumper harvest.

Besides the participating Naga cultural troupes, guest cultural troupes would perform Kuki dance by Khengjang village, Gorkha dance from Kalapahar and a Chakpa-Lois cultural presentation.

Galaxy of Naga tribal Hoho leaders; elected representatives including government officials, women, youth and student leaders, village elders, journalists and general celebrants have confirmed their participation in the celebration, according to the festival organising commitee.

Queen Apei Hinga, born in 1933 was given to marriage at the age of 18 to King Karang, the Chief of Maram in 1951.They were settled in Maram Namdi village.

Their married live which lasted for only 13 years was very eventful and were blessed with 6 sons and 4 daughters and Apei Hinga was coronated as the Chief in Maram tradition.

However, she was widowed in 1964 and her responsibility became more hectic but with the active advice and cooperation of the elders of the Maram community she carried out all the customary and traditional rituals and practices very efficiently and was respected by one and all.

Today, she is confidently dependant on her only surviving child, the begotten son K.Namba who is shouldering the responsibility as the village headman of Maram Namdi (Maram Khulen).

Queen Apei Hinga brought about many changes in the society by abolishing the primitive practice of N�bong Katei (dead while giving birth) in 1975; lifted the restriction on inter-clan and inter-tribe marriages.

She also proclaimed the freedom to villagers to start cultivation works on their own convinient season even before or after the Saraha kati lura manai (seed sowing ritual).

As a kind hearted Queen and a loving mother, she had extended help and shelter to many needy people.

On many occasions she had intervened and stopped fights and quarrels among villagers and her assertion was accepted as final and binding.

Even on the event of a criminal who comes to her house for protection and shelter were protected by her and no one can touch them so long as they were under her shelter.

She is known and recognised as the link to the primitive way of life with the present generation by upholding the indigenous culture and traditional identity.

Apei Hinga was declared and awarded the Best Mother by the Naga Women�s Union, Manipur in 2006.

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