Teri Chha

The Rengma Naga tribal community of Kohima district in Nagaland perform the martial dance called Teri Chha. Actually it is a kind of training to prepare the young men of the village for a war. It is performed on important festive occasions so that the trained ones do not forget the techniques of war. The dance has three phases. In the first phase the dancers depict the war preparations. In the second phase the techniques of attack and defense are executed. The third phase depicts victory over the enemy and the dance ends with a ritual ceremony.