This category has the following 6 subcategories, out of 6 total.
The following 21 pages are in this category, out of 21 total, this list may not reflect recent changes (learn more).
1. Chepang people – The Chepang are an indigenous Tibeto-Burman people group numbering around fifty-two thousand mainly inhabiting the rugged ridges of the Mahabharat mountain range of central Nepal. The severe topography, however, has made permanent farming difficult, Chepang men and women are basically egalitarian and no social ranking exists as it does in caste Nepalese society. Many Chepang cannot read and write due and deprived of school beyond elementary, despite that the nation has been making great gains in reducing illiteracy. According to the 2001 Nepal Census, there are 52,237 Chepang in the country, of which 67. 63% were Hindu,23. 38% were Buddhists,7. 49% were Christians, and 1. 25% others. They are mostly located in Dhading District, Chitwan District, Gorkha District, Makwanpur District, the Chepangs themselves follow Animism, although they are strongly influenced by both Hinduism and Buddhism, which came from the Tamangs just north of them. They observe all the Hindu festivals of Dashain, Tihar and Sakrantis besides their own tribal festival Nwagi or Chhonam, Chhonam is the auspicious day for eating a new crop. Before the celebration of festival, there is prohibition for eating certain agricultural products. In in 5th National Gathering of Chepang,2004, it was stated they practiced Prakriti and they worship many deities including Bhumi, Aita Bare, Gaidu, Namrung etc. etc. They also observe other different festivals like, Maghe Sakranti, Saune Sakranti, Dashain, the language is also known as Chepang but is called Chyo-bang by the people themselves. Some Bahun Chettri castes call these people the Praja meaning political subjects, the people speak 3 different dialects of this Tibeto-Burman language that is closely related to Raute and Raji, two undocumented languages spoken in western Nepal. Chepang language is one of the few languages which uses a counting system rather than the decimal. Chepang communities were already suffering from severe malnutrition before the blockade, due to historic discrimination and neglect and remote communities, Chepang have suffered discrimination even at the hands of the Nepali Food Corporation in charge of emergency food distribution. Social activist KP Kiran Sharma said Chepangs compulsorily eat rice during Dashain, where meat is eaten by more wealthy groups. Hence they are among the most vulnerable ethnic groups facing potential population bottleneck in the winter of 2015/16 despite their small numbers. The Nepal Red Cross has stepped in providing them with relief when left to rot by the government, in turn, Chepangs in Lothhar fight cold with donated clothes Kathmandu Post
2. Ghale – Ghale is one indigenous group of Nepal. They are found in Gorkha, Lamjung, Manang, Bhojpur, Nuwakot, Dhading, the Gurung have more than 175 divisions of cast system. The Ghaleys were the class of Gurung tribes during prehistoric times of modern Nepal. So all Ghale carry their surname as Ghale rather than Gurung, however majority of Gurungs simply choose to write Gurung as their surname. The sub-cast system has a significant role in marriage arrangement
3. Gurkha – The name may be traced to the medieval Hindu warrior-saint Guru Gorakhnath who has a historic shrine in Gorkha. The word itself derived from Go-Raksha, raksha becoming rakha, rakhawala means protector and is derived from raksha as well. Ethnically, Chhetri or Khas, Thakuri, Gurung and Magar mainly were the Gorkha tribes who united erstwhile Gorkha kingdom, but today, Gorkha soldiers mostly belong to the Gurung, Chhetri, Magar, Rai, Limbu, Sunuwar there is no ethnicity based restriction to join. There are Gurkha military units in the Nepalese, British and the Indian army enlisted in Nepal, United Kingdom and India. Although they meet many of the requirements of Article 47 of Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions regarding mercenaries, Gurkhas are closely associated with the khukuri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife, and have a well known reputation for fearless military prowess. The former Indian Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, once stated that If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or he is a Gurkha. During the Anglo-Nepalese War between the Gorkha Kingdom and the East India Company, the Gorkhali soldiers made an impression on the British and their war cry was and is to this very day, Jai Mahakali, Ayo Gorkhali. In the peace treaty the parties agreed that Gorkhalis could be recruited to serve under contract in the East India Companys army, once more I hear the laughter with which you greeted every hardship. Once more I see you in your bivouacs or about your fires, on forced march or in the trenches, now shivering with wet and cold, now scorched by a pitiless and burning sun. Uncomplaining you endure hunger and thirst and wounds, and at the last your unwavering lines disappear into the smoke, bravest of the brave, most generous of the generous, never had country more faithful friends than you. Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab started recruiting Gurkha soldiers in his army, the elite wing of his Sikh Khalsa Army, the Fauj-i-Khas had one rajman of Gurkhas. The rajman was known for its excellent morale, gallantry, discipline, the well-known Gurkha freedom-fighter Balbhadra Kunwar was an officer in the Gorkha rajman. One of the best battles in which the Gurkhas served was the Battle of Nowshera, even though the Sikhs were losing in the beginning, Maharaja Ranjit Singh launched a decisive charge at the Afghan positions. The Gurkhas climbed the Pir Saibak hill, and together with their Sikh comrades, after the battle, Ranjit Singh personally met and awarded the Gurkhas, and promoted Balbhadra Kunwar into the captain of the regiment. The Gurkhas served also during the Sino-Sikh War, where they were praised for their excellent skirmishing at the Tibetan Hills and they also fought the First Anglo-Sikh War, where the Dogra commanders of the Sikh Khalsa Army, betrayed their forces and delivered battle plans to British. After the Treaty of Lahore, this regiment was added into the Bengal Army, the Anglo-Nepalese war was fought between the Gurkha Kingdom of Nepal and the British East India Company as a result of border disputes and ambitious expansionism of both the belligerent parties. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816, david Ochterlony and the British political agent William Fraser were among the first to recognize the potential of Gurkha soldiers in British service. During the war the British were keen to use defectors from the Gurkha army and his confidence in their loyalty was such that in April 1815 he proposed forming them into a battalion under Lieutenant Ross called the Nasiri regiment
4. Gurung people – The Gurung people, also called Tamu, are an ethnic group from different parts of Nepal. Priestly practitioners of Gurung Dharma include Ghyabri, Pachyu, and Bon Lamas, shamanistic elements among the Gurungs remain strong and most Gurungs often embrace Buddhist and Bön rituals in all communal activities. Nepal, the Living Heritage, Environment and Culture, university of Michigan, Kathmandu Environmental Education Project. The Land of the Gurkhas, Or, The Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal, the Gurungs, Thunder of Himal, A Cross Cultural Study of a Nepalese Ethnic Group
5. Kirati people – The Kirat or Kirati or Kiranti or Kirant people are indigenous ethnic groups of the Himalayas extending eastward from Nepal into India, Bangladesh, Burma and beyond. They migrated to their present locations via Assam, Burma, Tibet and their languages belong to the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. The original inhabitants of the Dooars region of India, the Koch Rajbongshi and Mech and they derive their titles from the original place of their dwelling, Koch from the Koshi river, Mech from the Mechi River and Kachari is derived from Kachar, which means river basin. The basis of these claims relies on the fact that they are Mongoloids, the source of the word Kirat or Kirati is much disputed. One school of thought says that it comes from the Sanskrit word Kirata found in the Yajurveda, they are described as the mountain people. It is also described as Chinese in the Mahabharata, Kirtarjuniya, there are four different groups of Kirati tribes, including Himalayan Kiratis, Tibetan-Himalayan, Khas-Kiratis and the Kacharis of South Asian region. Their populations are such largest comparing to any ethnic groups of South Asia. C. According to Gopalvansavali,32 Kirat Kings ruled in the Kathmandu valley for 1963 years 8 months, the Lichhavi dynasty dethroned the Kirat rulers in 158AD. This means that Kirat King Yalambars reign started BC1779.8, if we calculate current 2017 +1779.8 =3796 is the Kirati new year in Maghe Sakranti in AD2017. New year is celebrated in Maghe Sakranti which is around mid-January, kirātas are mentioned in early Sanskrit literature as hunter tribes from the Himalayas. They are first mentioned in the Yajurveda, and in the Atharvaveda and they are often mentioned along with the Cinas Chinese. Hindu myth also has many incidents where the god Shiva imitates a married Kirati girl who later become Parvati. In Yoga Vasistha 1.15.5, Rama speaks of kirāteneva vāgurā a trap by Kiratas, so about 10th century BCE, they were thought of as jungle trappers, the ones who dug pits to capture roving deer. The same text also speaks of King Suraghu, the head of the Kiratas who is a friend of the Persian King, another wave of political and cultural conflict between Khas and Kirat ideals surfaced in the Kirat region of present-day Nepal during the last quarter of the 18th century. A collection of manuscripts from the 18th and 19th centuries, till now unpublished and unstudied by historians, have made possible a new understanding of this conflict. For over two millennia, a portion of the eastern Himalaya has been identified as the home of the Kirat people, of which the majority are known today as Limbu, Newar, Sunuwar, Rai. In ancient times, the entire Himalayan region was known as the Kimpurusha Desha and these people were also known as Nep, to which the name Nepala and Newar are believed to have an etymological link. The earliest references to the Kirat as principal inhabitants of the Himalayan region are found in the texts of Atharvashirsha and Mahabharata, for over a millennium, the Kirat had also inhabited the Kathmandu Valley, where they installed their own ruling dynasty
6. Limbu people – The name Limbu is an exonym of an uncertain origin. They call themselves Yakthumba (IPA, or Yakthungba, in Standard Tibetan, they are referred to as Sikkimese people and in Sikkimese as Shong or Tsong Tsang people. Portions of the Limbu population are located in the east and west districts of Sikkim. Limbu clans and tribes are divided into two gotras indicating their origin, Lhasa and Yunnan, the Limbu are known as Yakthung Thibong or Ten Limbu, from which thirteen Limbu subgroups have emerged. According to legend, five of the came from Yunnan. The Chinese text Po-ou-Yeo-Jing translated in 308 AD refers to the Yi-ti-Sai, accounts with Sirijunga Limbu, Lepcha and Newar are the only Sino-Tibetan languages of the Central Himalayas to possess their own pre-20th century scripts. Vowels, ʌ, ɑ, i, u, e, ɑi, o, ɑu, ɛ, ɔ Consonants k, kh, g, gh, ŋ, c/ts, ch/tsh, j/dz, jh/dz, t, th, d, dh, n, p, ph, b, bh, m, j, r, l, w, sh, s, h, tr 1. Sleep, imma, kiratism or Kirat Dharma Limbus practice many of their own life cycle rituals and they believe that lineage is not transmitted patrilineally. Rather, a woman inherits her mothers gods, and when she marries and lives with her husband she brings with her the deities that will then be recognized as the household deities, Limbu bury their dead and observe for two-to-three days through practiced death rituals. The length of the period varies depending on the gender of the deceased. Dancing parties are arranged for visitors to the village and these affairs give the young Limbu girls and boys a chance to meet and enjoy dancing and drinking. The traditional dress of the Limbus are mekhli and taga, while performing mangsewa IPA, Yakthung IPA, people wear mekhli and taga in white colour as it symbolizes purity. Dhaka is the fabric of the Limbus which are made by weaving it in geometric patterns in a handloom. The art of making dhaka is taught by one generation to another and you will always see a Limbu man clad in dhaka topi and scarf, and a Limbu lady in dhaka saree, mekhli, blouse and shawl. In the olden days, the Limbus were skilled in silk farming, the Kiratis were also known as silk traders. According to JB Subba and Iman Xin Chemjong, the Kirat is a form of kereta. Mekhli- Long dress worn with a strip of cloth with collars crossing over or in a Vneck style. Chunglokek/sunghamba- Blouse Chaubandi Cholo- Blouse with collars overlapping each other Sim- gunyo in Nepali, a long strip of cloth wrapped around like a skirt
7. Lohorung people – Lohorung are a janajati or ethnic native people of eastern Nepal. The Lohorung homeland is Sankhuwasabha district in the part of the Arun watershed. At present they are found in eight districts of Nepal, Ilam, Jhapa, Sunsari, Morang, Dhankuta, Terhathum, Lalitpur. They also live in states of India, Darjeeling and Kalimpong in West Bengal, Sikkim and Assam. The Lohorung language belongs to the Kiranti group of Sino-Tibetan languages, Lohorung Yakhkhaba Yuyong is a non-profit organization advocating for the Lohorung community. It is based in Kathmandu, Nepal, the main festivals of Lohorung are Nwagi and Iksamam
8. Magars – The Magars are one of the indigenous ethnic nationalities of Nepal representing 7. 13% of the Nepals total population as per the census of 2011. Their ancestral homeland extends from the Western and the Southern edges of the Dhaulagiri range of the Himalayas to the Mahabharat foothills in the South, genetically and physically, Magar people are Mongoloid/east Asian. They are believed to have migrated from Tibet via Sikkim like other prominent ethnic groups, mythical stories on the Origins of Magars, There are interesting mythical stories describing the origins of Magars. Three different versions relative to three different language groups are presented, the Magar of the Bahra Magaranth east of the Kali Gandaki River) are said to have originated in the land of Seem. Two brothers, Seem Magar and Chintoo Magar, fought, and one remained in Seem, while the other left, the Bhutia people lived at the northern end of this region. Over time, the Magars became very powerful and made the northern Bhutia their vassals, sintoo Sati Sheng ruled in a very despotic manner, and the Bhutia conspired to assassinate him. Shengs queen took revenge and poisoned 1,000 Bhutia people at a place now called Tong Song Fong, meaning where a thousand were murdered, the Bhutia later drove the Magar out, forcing them to again migrate further south. As part of migration, one group migrated to Simrongadh, one group moved towards the Okhaldhunga region. A second Magar federation called Athara Magarat was situated west of the Gandaki River, the first written history about Magar people dates as back as 1100 AD. But it is accepted that they have resided around Palpa from time immemorial. They are also thought to be the earliest settlers from the north, some records show these twelve areas as being Arghakhanchi, Gulmi, Isma, Musikot, Khanchi, Ghiring, Rising, Bhirkot, Payung, Garhung, Dhor and Satung. However, it is probable that some of the latter places should have been excluded in favour of Palpa, Galkot, Dhurkot, Char Hajar, Parbat, the Magars of middle and western region also played a role in Nepals formative history. Their kingdom was one of the strongest of west Nepal in, the 18th-century king, Prithvi Narayan Shah, the founder of the modern Kingdom of Nepal was announced and loved to call himself the King of Magarat. Many prominent historians of Nepal have claimed that Aramudi, a ruler of the Kali Gandaki region, was a Magar King. Aramudi derives from the word for river in the Magar language, ari-Source of Water + Modi-River=Arimodi or Aramudi, thus the literal meaning of Aramudi is source of river. But due to the lack of evidence there are some conflicting ideas among the historians. The Magars are structured with septs, followed by sub-septs, broadly speaking, Magars are divided into two main groups, Baraha Magaratis and Athara Magaratis. Before the unification of Nepal in the 18th century by the King Prithvi Narayan Shah, west of Kali Gandaki was called eighteen Magarat and East of Kali Gandaki was called twelve Magarat
9. Newar people – The Newar or Newah are the historical inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding areas in Nepal, and the creators of its historic heritage and civilization. Newars form a linguistic and cultural community of primarily Indo-Aryan and Tibeto-Burman ethnicities following Hinduism and Buddhism with Nepal Bhasa as their common language, Newars have developed a division of labour and a sophisticated urban civilization not seen elsewhere in the Himalayan foothills. Newars have continued their traditions and practices, and pride themselves as the true custodians of the religion, culture. The valley and surrounding territories constituted the former Newar kingdom of the Nepal Mandala, Indo-Aryan immigrants like the Licchavis and Mallas that arrived at different periods eventually merged with the local population by adopting their language and customs. Newar rule in Nepal Mandala ended with its conquest by the Gorkha Kingdom in 1768, Newars are known for their contributions to culture, art and literature, trade, agriculture and cuisine. Today, Newars consistently rank as the most economically, politically and socially advanced community of Nepal, nepals 2011 census ranks Newars as the nations sixth-largest ethnicity/community, with 1,321,933 Newars throughout the country. The terms Nepāl, Newār, Newāl and Nepār are phonetically different forms of the same word, Nepal is the learned form and Newar is the colloquial form. The term Newar referring to inhabitant of Nepal appeared for the first time in an inscription dated 1654 in Kathmandu, italian Jesuit priest Ippolito Desideri who traveled to Nepal in 1721 has written that the natives of Nepal are called Newars. It has been suggested that Nepal may be a sanskritization of Newar, according to another explanation, the words Newar and Newari are vulgarisms arising from the mutation of P to V, and L to R. As a result of the process of dropping the last consonant and lengthening the vowel, Newā for Newār or Newāl. For about a thousand years, the Newar civilization in Central Nepal preserved a microcosm of classical North Indian culture in which Brahmanic, snellgrove and Richardson speak of the direct heritage of pre-Islamic India. The different divisions of Newars had different historical developments, the common identity of Newar was formed in the Kathmandu Valley. Until the conquest of the valley by the Gorkha Kingdom in 1769, so, the history of Newar correlates to the history of the Kathmandu Valley prior to the establishment of the modern state of Nepal. The earliest known history of Newar and the Kathmandu Valley blends with mythology recorded in historical chronicles, one such text, which recounts the creation of the valley, is the Swayambhu Purana. According to this Buddhist scripture, the Kathmandu Valley was a giant lake until the Bodhisattva Manjusri, with the aid of a sword, cut a gap in the surrounding hills. This apocryphal legend is supported by evidence of an ancient lakebed. According to the Swayambhu Purana, Manjusri then established a city called Manjupattan, now called Manjipā, a shrine dedicated to Manjusri is still present in Majipā. No historical documents have been found after this era till the advent of the Gopal era, a genealogy of kings is recorded in a chronicle called Gopalarajavamsavali
10. Rai people – The Khambu or Rai are indigenous ethnolinguistic groups of Nepal, the Indian State of Sikkim and Darjeeling Hills. They were Rai meaning king (Rai means King in old Khas kura, when the king Prithvi Narayan Shah couldnt defeat Khambu king, he somehow took them in confidence that the land is theirs forever and gave them the title Rai in around B. S.1832. The title of Rai instead khambu kirant people who used to live in majh kirant for particular reason, then the post Rai was provided to the topmost leaders of the region. They were given the power to land tax. Thats why sometimes Rai people are called jimmi or jimmi-wal, the Rai belong to the Kirati group or the Kirat confederation that includes Limbu, Sunuwar, Yakkha and Dhimal ethnic groups. Rais are also found in significant numbers in the Indian state of Sikkim, Assam and in the northern West Bengal towns of Kalimpong, Kurseong, Mirik, according to Nepals 2001 census, there are 635,751 Rai in Nepal representing 2. 79% of the total population. Of this number,70. 89% declared themselves as practicing the traditional Kiranti religion, some groups number only a few hundred members. More than 32 different panoti languages and dialects are recognized within the Tibeto-Burman languages family and their languages are Pronominalised Tibeto-Burman languages, indicating their antiquity. The traditional Kiranti religion, predating Hinduism and Buddhism, is based on ancestor-worship, sumnima-Paruhang are worshipped as primordial parents. They are worshipped as Lord Shiva and Parvati, a major Rai holiday is the harvest festival, Nwogi, when fresh harvested foods are shared by all. The Bijuwa and Nakchhung or Priest plays an important role in Rai communities, the Rai people do not belong to the caste system. The Rai people have never accepted casteism and never adopted a caste, the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities and the Nepal government have recognised this fact. Rai women decorate themselves lavishly with silver and gold coin jewellery, marriage unions are usually monogamous and arranged by parents, although love marriage, bride capture in the past and elopement are alternative methods. Sakela or Sakewa dance is the greatest religious festival of Kirant Rai people in Nepal, the Sakela celebration is a prayer to Mother Nature for healthy crops and protection from natural calamities. Therefore, the festival is known as Bhumi Puja. Starting on Baisakh Purnima, Sakela Ubhauli is celebrated for 15 days in Baisakh marking the beginning of the farming year, Nepal is a very ancient country, which has been ruled by many dynasties. Among them, the Kirat rule is taken as a significant one. In ancient Hindu scriptures, Nepal is referred as the Kirat Desh or the Land of Kirats, when the 28th Kirat King Paruka was ruling in the valley, the Sombanshi ruler attacked his regime many times from the west
11. Sunuwar people – The Sunuwar are one of the indigenous peoples of Nepal and some areas in India. The majority of this tribe follow the Kirant religion and adopt the Mundhum culture, however, some population of this tribe is influenced by the Hinduism and Christianity also. According to the 2001 census, only 17. 4% were Kirant, the term ‘Kõinchs’ is also the name of the mother tongue. Other terms like Mukhiya or Mukhia are exonyms of the tribe, there is another common teasing name of the tribe coined from the Sunuwar language itself, e. g. Maaraapaache. Sunuwar have their language, religion, culture and social customs. They inhabit the hills of Nepal. They are autochthonous to the Molung Khola, Likhu Khola and Khimti Khola, by administrative division, they dwell in Okhaldhunga, Ramechhap and Dolakha districts of Nepal, politically known as Wallo Kirant after the fall of the Kirant dynasty at the ancient Nepal valley. Wallo Kirant in the past was their Kipat or communal land, most Sunuwar practice agriculture throughout the eastern hills of present-day Nepal. Crop cultivation and cattle farming are the agricultural works. Sunuwar people also took part in the Second World War and they were known as brave gorkhali, some Sunuwar still join the Nepal Army, Indian Army, Singapore Police Force and British Gurkha Army. Due to limited opportunities within the nation, people with education go abroad for work, attractive salaries and facilities in other countries motivate these people for jobs abroad. Only few Sunuwar people are involved in the government service and private sectors in Nepal, Sunuwar are very in rich culture and traditions. They have hundreds of traditional feasts and festivals which are difficult to explain in detail, every traditional feast and festival has its own objectives, characteristics and system of celebration. Some greatest traditional festivals such as Chandi Dance in, Sakela, Gil puja and they celebrate Shyadar-pidar festival on the Day of Buddha Purnima or after 5 days of Buddha Purnima according to Nepali calendar. Sunuwar New year is celebrated on the day of Basanta Panchami, as a community, they celebrate Meserani Pidar twice a year, with no specific date allocated as such. See more Sunuwar Dress Ne, सुनुवार पोसाक Sunuwari Song, Reuhita Ragimshumshaa Hal-Li Or HaliCha हाल्ली खेल Place, Khiji Chandeshwori DVC, Mainland after Kathmandu Month, November/Dec. Only One in the World Players, 12x12, As 12 Month Rule,1 Hali change the Area/court, arranged Marriage Escape Marriage Traction Marriage. Before but not now The 29 Kirat kings were as follows, Yalamber 2
12. Thami – The Thami are an indigenous tribe of hills east of Kathmandu, Nepals capital. They mainly live in Suspa, Kshamawati, Khopachagu, Alampu, Bigu, Kalinchok, Lapilang and they are locally known as Thangmi. They speak the Thami language, also called, Thangmi Kham, Thangmi Wakhe, and Thani. According to the 2011 Nepal Census there are a total of 30,000 Thami of which 55. 74% were Hindus,12. 41% were Buddhists,14. 60% were Bon and 16. 77% were Shamanists. Legend says that the first Thami couple had seven sons and seven daughters, when the parents could not find suitable marriage partners for their children, they allowed them to intermarry. The Thami people are their descendants, the Thami earn a meagre living through stone quarrying businesses and by joining the military forces. To escape this extreme hardship, many have fled to India to find better jobs, many upper class members of Thami clan are living in Bhutan. They go to Nepal in search of employment, and to do business, the Thami are shamanists, though they have come under strong Buddhist influence from the Tamang. Hindu influence can be seen in their marriage rituals, which is a festival to them. Although they are poor they must make a chautara in the name of their deceased relatives, recently many people of Thami clan are seem to be joining Christianity. Remembering the Thami, A case study Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities थामी जातिबारे जानौं, सपना थामी