NCERT Class 4 English Santoor Chapter 09 Hekko PDF Download

Chapter 9: Hekko

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'Hek' means to challenge and 'ko' means tiger. Therefore, the word "Hekko" means "Challenging the tiger." There is a folk story in Nagaland which talks about "Aami" (The Man) and "Aakho" (The Tiger).

Story: Once upon a time, humans and animals lived together. They had a disagreement about their superiority. The humans challenged Aakho and the challenge came to be known as Hekko.

[Figure: A man in traditional Naga attire standing beside a tiger, See in your textbook]

The people in the Mokokchung district of Nagaland play a game named Hekko, which is a well-known sport today.

Presently, it is played as a team game between two teams: Aakho and Aami. The strongest people in the village are identified through this game.

There are 11 players in each team. The toss before the game decides which team will be called Aami and which will be called Aakho.

[Figure: Two teams of children standing on either side of a circle before the game begins, See in your textbook]

To play, a circle is first drawn, and the Aami team has to stay within the circle by making a human chain, while the Aakho team stays outside the circle.

At first, two members of the Aakho team enter the circle and try to push the Aami players outside the circle. When an Aami player is pushed out of the circle, he is out and cannot enter again.

The Aami team also tries to catch the players of the Aakho team by surrounding them. When an Aakho player is caught, he is not released until he says "Joko" (surrender).

[Figure: The Aami team surrounding and catching an Aakho player inside the circle, See in your textbook]

Teacher's Note

The rules of Hekko describe two separate goals happening at the same time: the Aakho team tries to push Aami players out, while the Aami team tries to catch Aakho players. Keep these two actions clear in your mind as two different parts of the same game. Reading the rules slowly, one action at a time, makes it easier to picture how the game is played.

Key Points

• "Hekko" comes from 'Hek' (to challenge) and 'ko' (tiger), meaning "Challenging the tiger."
• The game is based on a Nagaland folk story about "Aami" (The Man) and "Aakho" (The Tiger).
• Hekko is played today in the Mokokchung district of Nagaland between two teams of 11 players each, called Aami and Aakho.
• The Aami team forms a human chain inside a circle, while the Aakho team tries to push them out from outside.
• The Aami team tries to catch Aakho players, who are released only after saying "Joko" (surrender).

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