Class 4 English (Santoor) Chapter 9, Hekko, introduces the exciting indigenous team sport of the Ao Naga community in the Mokokchung district of Nagaland — rooted in the folk tale of Aami (Humans) challenging Aakho (the Tiger).
What Class 4 English Chapter 9 Covers
Folk Origin of Hekko — ‘Challenging the Tiger’ explains that in Ao Naga, ‘Hek’ means ‘to challenge’ and ‘ko’ means ‘tiger’; the sport originated from an ancient folk tale where humans (Aami) and tigers (Aakho) competed to test their strength and agility.
How Hekko Is Played Between Two 11-Player Teams describes the circular boundary court where the 11-member Aami team forms a human chain inside the circle while the 11-member Aakho team enters one by one to push/tag players out, crowning the fastest and strongest players.
Exercises in Chapter 9
- Let us Think, Let us Speak, and Let us Listen comprehension activities.
- Let us Learn, Let us Write, and Let us Do grammar & writing tasks.
Read Class 4 English Chapter 9 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 8: The Lagori Champions
- Next: Chapter 10: The Swing
- All English chapters and the other Class 4 books: Class 4 NCERT books 2026-27
FAQ
What does the word ‘Hekko’ mean and in which state is it played?
‘Hekko’ literally means ‘Challenging the Tiger’ (‘Hek’ = challenge, ‘ko’ = tiger). It is a traditional team sport played in the Mokokchung district of Nagaland.
What are the names of the two teams in a game of Hekko and how many players are in each?
The two teams are called ‘Aami’ (representing Humans) and ‘Aakho’ (representing the Tiger), and each team has 11 players.