The Tikhirs are a

Naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions ** Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong River ** Naga, another name for Bakunawa, an ...

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

inhabiting the Northeast Indian state of

Nagaland Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Naga Sel ...

. According to the 2011 census, the population of the Tikhir people in Nagaland was 7,537. They are recognised as a Scheduled Tribe (STs) by India.

Regional Festival

They celebrate "TSONGLAKNYI" festival, which is observed from 9–12 October every year. The word 'tsonglaknyi' is made up of two words: "Tsong" means Shield and "lak" means sanctification. Tsonglaknyi basically is a festival of the sanctification of Shield. It also means sanctification of the weapons along with their wealth and valuable assets, as well as the purification of the men folk before going out for head hunting (earlier days). In short, it is a festival of purification. This festival is one of the most important among the Tikhir festivals celebrated, stretching for four days.

References

{{Hill tribes of Northeast India Scheduled Tribes of Nagaland Naga people Ethnic groups in Northeast India Ethnic groups in India Tribes of India Scheduled Tribes of India