The Thanamir Village Council along with the Thanamir Village Citizenship and Thanamir Village Students’ Union on Tuesday jointly opposed the Tikhir Naga tribe’s alleged claim over Mt Saramati.
In a joint statement, the three Thanamir bodies said that there was a mention of “Langkong-Shamator,tong Saramati vong kyan” in the first stanza of the Tikhir Students’ Union’s anthem, which translated to “from Langkong- Shamator to Saramati mountain” implying the land belonging to the Tikhir tribe.
“It is imperative to state that, Saramati (ancestral name as Meramkhanvong in chirr dialect) particularly falls under the jurisdiction of Thanamir village, which is the inhabitant land of Chirr speaking populace of Yimkhiung Naga Tribe who are the sole land owner and custodian,” the statement said.
“Historically, Mt Saramati was named as Meramkhanvong in Chirr dialect by our early ancestors who discovered the peak, but later it was renamed as Mt. Saramati. Thereby, any Naga tribes can use the name of Mt. Saramati in common nomenclature and to which the joint council strongly oppose /object the using of the name in encroaching of the jurisdiction/territory or claiming it particularly through any means of writings and compositions,” it added.
While objecting the alleged claims of the Tikhir Students’ Union, the three bodies also directed the Tikhir student body to omit the word “Saramati” from the anthem before the commencement of the 43rd Session of Tikhir Students’ Union which is to be held from 11 to 14 January 2024 in Pokphur Village.
“Resulting of any untoward circumstances through this composed anthem will invite strong repercussion from the land owner and the Yimkhiung Tribe in general,” they cautioned.