To Die-hard Konyaks, the predominant tribe of the state, that occupies the 1,786 sq. km. area around Mon district in Nagaland. To the north and northwest is Assam's Sibsagar district; Tuensang district from Nagaland borders it on the south. To the east is Sagaing of Myanmar (Burma), while the western region lies in Mokokchung district of Nagaland. Mon district lies northeast to Longding, Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

The population of Wancho-Konyak people (a collective term), are referred to as Lower Konyaks who are ethnically Konyak but also refer to Lower Konyaks (as Konyaks are traditionally Pansay and Pansay Konyaks are tattooed—as Konyak tribal people) (Lingche, 1957 and 2005); their dialect belongs to the Naga sub-branch of the Tibeto-Burman family. Konyak tribe is divided as Thendu and Thenko aktraditionally based on their facial tattoos (linguistically tattooed and non-tattooed Konyaks). Thendu were tattooed in the face, and Thenko Konyaks were not. Over time, the geographical distribution of Konyak settlements came to be defined as Upper Konyaks (Thenko, non-tattooed) and Lower Konyaks (Thendu, tattooed).